The PAX 10 was created to provide the very best independent game developers with a way to get exposure to the gamers, media and industry professionals at PAX Prime. The winners were selected by industry experts looking for the best in gameplay, originality and overall fun-factor.

“Every year the showcase of new indie gems are one of the highlights of the show,” said Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade. “In always chasing the next big blockbuster, too much of our industry is dedicated to making the same game over and over again. The PAX 10 is one way that indies with innovative game concepts can get in front of the community.”

The winning entries are:

• A Flipping Good Time (PC) – Digipen Institute of Technology – Players will have a flipping good time in this fast-paced free-flowing 2D platformer as they flip and fly through an expansive underground world using the fluid nature of gravity to avoid hazardous terrain.

• Antichamber (PC) – Alexander Bruce – Journey through the depths within a non-Euclidean labyrinth where geometry and space follow unfamiliar rules, and many obstacles are a matter of perception. Players must create, destroy and manipulate matter in this mind-bending psychological exploration game.

• Atom Zombie Smasher (PC, Mac, Linux) – Blendo Games – The zombie apocalypse is upon us! Take strategic command of mercenary forces to conduct massive rescue operations using military forces such as snipers, artillery crews, and orbital bombardments to hold back the undead while the civilians escape.

• Fez (XBLA) – Polytron – Guide Gomez, a 2D creature, on a voyage of discovery into the mysterious 3rd dimension. Change his perspective and look at the world in a different way.

• Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony (PC) – Final Form Games – A neo-classical top-down shooter for up to 4 players set on 17th-century British Colonial Mars with a new twist on the genre. There are no shared pools of health or lives; so long as any player survives, the team can be brought back from death.

• Snapshot (PC) – Retro Affect – Pic, a robot camera, can actually absorb objects into photographs, removing them from existence! By pasting pictures back into the world, captured objects – everything from doors, light, even copies of yourself – can be used to solve puzzles.

• Solar 2 (PC) – Murudai – In this open-world, sandbox game set in an infinite abstract universe, players are the planets. Play constructively: grow your system, nurture life and attack enemy life in huge battles. Play destructively: crash into objects and cause chaos, use orbiting objects like wrecking balls and steal planets.

• Splatters (PC) – SpikySnail – You play as a group of semi-suicidal, liquid filled Splatters that get their kicks by igniting in colorful confetti bombs of liquid. Crash into spikes, ride the slides, Air-Strike into bombs or do just any stunt-combo you can think of. With every new maneuver learned, each show becomes more spectacular.

• Vanessa Saint-Pierre Delacroix & Her Nightmare (PC) – Bad Pilcrow – Standing between Vanessa and freedom are platforming mechanics. The twist? Her two-dimensional world lies on the surface of a three-dimensional cube, and players must rotate each face to find clever solutions to a wide variety of problems.

• Word Fighter (iOS & Android) – Feel Every Yummy – A one-on-one word battling game that mixes rules from popular word games like Boggle and Scrabble and wraps them around a competitive fighting environment. Think “Street Fighter” meets “Words with Friends”, or word games mashed together with “Super Puzzle Fighter”.

The PAX 10 website can be found at http://prime.paxsite.com/pax10.php

The pessimism began for me and most other MVC2 players when the MVC3 development team first announced that they wanted the game to be more newbie friendly, for example by simplifying the controls to have only THREE attack buttons. But soon after I got my hands on the game I realized this wasn’t going to be a huge problem, and the addition of the universal launcher certainly makes it easier for novice players to pick the game up.

My most immediate problem with the game at this point (a good week or so) is that it’s too easy to kill your opponent. To start off with, the damage is too high. A standard air combo ending in a Hyper Combo will normally take over half your opponent’s life; on top of that, chip damage from beam/gun Hypers is also higher than it needs to be.

Complicating things even further (for the worse) is the new “X Factor” mode which can be activated at any point in the game to buff all your characters up: they get faster, hit harder, and regenerate their health quicker. All of which is fine, and would actually make for an interesting and strategic addition to the game (especially because the effect is greater the fewer characters you have left) — if not for the fact that X Factor is just as excessive as the aforementioned damage settings. Characters in XF mode simply become much too fast and hit way too hard.

In a way, this isn’t a game-breaking problem because *all* the characters hit too hard, and they *all* get overpowered with XF. So it’s kind of fair. As a result, I’d say this is the first area that MVC3 surpasses MVC3: balance. MVC2 had over 30 characters and 4 or 5 of them were godly compared to the rest of the cast. Seeing how many characters in MVC3 can already do 50% damage if not close to 100% on one combo using a single super meter, there’s not a ton of room to become deadlier. So in the weeks or months to come, when players inevitably discover a bunch of exploitable tactics that make some characters much better than others, I still think that the game will have to be more balanced than MVC2.

While the settings and properties mentioned above may turn players such as myself off by essentially making the game seem too easy, it definitely gives newbies the satisfaction of doing big damage in fast-paced matches.

Of course, the one thing which newbies and hardcover players will likely love equally has to be the job Capcom has done in bringing all of these characters to life. While I’m a huge fan of Capcom’s 2D art (what old school gamer isn’t?), the shiny new models found here pop with solid polish and personality. It’s particularly cool to see Marvel’s superheroes & villains jump off the comic book pages and onto the TV screens under your control — Magneto’s still badass, Taskmaster’s cocky, Deadpool’s overloaded with jokes & weapons, and on down the line. And the Capcom side with its mix of old favorites and new additions is just as good. Dante is incredibly popular, and I for one love Wesker (and I’m not even a Resident Evil fan).

In the end, MVC3 never really stood a chance of surpassing MVC2 in the hearts & minds of devotees like myself, but it’s a fun, fast-paced game bursting with personality and its sure to build on and surpass the surge of online fighting game fervor that Capcom jump-started with SF4.

Speaking of which, without a doubt the area MVC3 excels in over MVC2 is hands-down online play. Now that we have a up-to-date MVC game, online play has finally caught up with the times with SSF4-style ranked matches, complete with win-streak counters and graphs breaking down your offensive and defensive strengths and weakness.

Being a port of a 10 year old game, and probably a low budget adaption at that, MVC2 could be infuriating when trying to play online matches. You’d get booted from a room or even at the start of a match with high regularity. If I had a dollar for everytime I got “network error”… Probably the only reason this was even acceptable was MVC2 cost like $15.

I wanted this game ever since I saw the trailer. The graphics are very well designed. You know a game is going to be good when you get the feeling that the designers enjoyed their work. Ilomilo is a definite must have for all 360 owners who love indie titles. This game isn’t for everyone, but even the FPS-onry gamers will appreciate it.

My roommate jokes about how I always make the Milo (blue) go to Ilo (red). His exact quotes are: “Always making the guy go to the girl!” so when he makes his own attempt to beat a level he makes Ilo go to Milo instead.

My favorite aspect of the game that I just can’t live without is my absolute love for the music. The soundtrack is just ridiculously addictive. I’m a huge sucker for creativity and the amount of work developers put into the music for the games. I can’t really say anything bad about Ilomilo except that fact that the 360 controller sometimes is a little wonky and it gets possessed by a ghost who seemingly wants to play too. When you want your little guys or gals to move a block to the left, instead of turning towards that direction they end up going up or down. I don’t think that’s any fault the the mechanics of the game.

In conclusion, for 800 MS points I think this game is worth every cent.

I can’t wait to wake up on the 22nd and impatiently wait for my buzzer to go off and open my door to sign for the game. As much as I would like to dedicate my free time to another MMO, I have a feeling this new relationship won’t last as long. I seem to mastered the art of ADD when it comes to gaming as of late. My adult life seems to be conflicting with my utmost desires to procrastinate responsibilities even when it came to writing this article.

I remember the last time I wrote anything about Final Fantasy was my debate whether Square will create a new MMO, which at the time they referred to as Rapture. And here it is and I can’t say I’m extremely excited, but being a fangirl who craves nostalgia I just have to get it. And because of this I think I’m among the ones Square is aiming for.

I’m planning on installing Windows XP or Vista or even Windows 7 on my iMac via Boot Camp. I’m wondering how that will look. Currently I’ve been hearing rumors about Square separating the servers between PS3 and PC. I hope not. I really enjoyed playing cross platform and even worldwide connection. I hope Square doesn’t change this and limit the servers to which country has access to which servers. To me the whole point of an MMO is to play with different people from all over the world not just in the States.

I have the fondest memories of playing FFXI I’m hoping FFXIV will create new memories for me. But new love can never replace the old even with its brightest days and darkest hours. Cheers to SQUARE not messing this one up badly and learning from FFXI’s mistakes.

Anyways, I saw a McDonald’s commercial recently and wondering if that’s her eating the burger. Anyone else seem to catch this? Or maybe I’m just delirious…don’t mind me…Jon told me to post it :P (ok he didn’t!)

I tried googling this earlier after receiving a random text from a friend that works in Manhattan, but nothing came on the searches until I went to ny1.com.

Here’s the article: RIP: Heath Ledger. Just wow…He was found dead today at around 3:30PM EST in his downtown NYC apartment…I’m just shocked…

Ok, enough about Rock Band, this is a post about Weezer. They have their sixth album coming out in April 2008! I’m excited. I haven’t bought a CD since their last album, which came out in 2005 (can’t believe it’s been 3 years since I bought anything related to music for myself…).

I guess I was a little disappointed with their fifth album. Hopefully, they don’t disappoint us with this one.

I still support you Weezer!

And being the nice person that I am (^_~) I present to you what I promised from my last post, Final Fantasy IV (2007 remake for NDS, JP version) released yesterday in Japan.

 

Intro!

See also:

• Nicolas Cage to star in Sadhu movie
• Amazing Spider-Man #545 – The End of An Era(?)
• Killing Joke Remastered
• Heroes World Tour T-Shirts
• First Impressions – The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (JP Version)

]]> http://www.popcultureshock.com/final-fantasy-iv-is-here/43053/feed/ 0 http://www.popcultureshock.com/ffivs-remake-coming-soon/43010/ http://www.popcultureshock.com/ffivs-remake-coming-soon/43010/#comments Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:50:18 +0000 Tally Chan http://www.popcultureshock.com/ffivs-remake-coming-soon/43010/ FFIV’s 2007 remake is coming out on December 20th in Japan. I’m gleeing with excitement over here. I mean look at it…how can you not fall in love with this game again? (T_T) I will be stalking and camping import stores here for this game. I will update again once this game comes out.

Until then…Here’s a clip from FFIV’s theme song “Theme of Love” remade with some beautiful lyrics it aired on MTV Japan. If I could sing, I would definitely sing this song…believe me! But I can’t, so let’s watch someone who is better off doing this song justice:

Here’s the trailer + translations:

See also:

• FFIV's Remake Coming Soon!
• Alternate 300 Trailer
• Aachi & Ssipak Trailer
• Black Goliath tribute on YouTube
• Pitt’s Purge YouTube video

]]> http://www.popcultureshock.com/ffivs-remake-coming-soon/43010/feed/ 0 http://www.popcultureshock.com/super-mario-galaxy-launching-at-midnight/42899/ http://www.popcultureshock.com/super-mario-galaxy-launching-at-midnight/42899/#comments Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:16:15 +0000 Tally Chan http://www.popcultureshock.com/super-mario-galaxy-launching-at-midnight/42899/

I got this in my inbox the other day and I want to go! But I’m not sure if this little guy is going to motivate me enough to wait on line for 6hrs, and did I mention it’s damn cold?! Unless anyone wants to PictoChat with me…I’m up for a duel of TicTacToe!

Long time no see! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything up. I haven’t been up to much except work so I don’t really have time to actually play much of anything, let alone post about them. But don’t fret, Tally is here to blog about another game that a handful of you might be dying to play. After my last hiatus, I bought Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates to replace the void in my gaming addiction. I didn’t get to pick it up before the street date like I did with Phantom Hourglass, but I still think I’m a baller.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates came out in Japan on August 23, 2007 and it seems like it won’t be out in the US until the second quarter of 2008. Being me, I can’t wait for an NDS game to come out a year later in the US, so I bought the JP version. This game isn’t very easy on you when it comes to the language barrier so I don’t really recommend importing this game unless your knowledge of kanji is up there. Also, unlike Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass there are no furigana to help you translate the kanji and all the dialogue takes place in the upper screen along with the action.

To start things off, an opening cutscene takes place in small village where you meet the two main characters, Yuri and Cherinka, fraternal twins, as little children. Yuri and Cherinka are fighting over who gets to be the first one to chop up the logs. Their father, Ratov, tells them to do it together instead. Without their father’s guidance they can’t pick up the axe, but Ratov tells them to concentrate and try to work together. During this cutscene they introduce you to the other two playable characters, Misu and Aruhanaremu. Gnash, the archer won’t be introduce until later on. I’ve included a clip of the opening scene below.

Anyway, the story is your usual Final Fantasy style, young heroes/heroines embarking on an epic journey for peace and revenge…Need I add more? The gameplay is similar, if not the same as the FFCC for the GC. Instead of controlling your character’s movements and actions via stylus, the buttons are used. You still control where magics are cast with the directional buttons and just release the X button to cast it. Also, you can combine spells together with another character to turn it into a higher tier version of said spell. After every monster killed, they drop items either spell magicites, potions or items use for creating better weapons and equipments.

I have yet to try out the game with another owner of the game, but I did make an archer character and I tried one simple mission and it seemed like it would be quite fun if you had 1-3 other players along for the ride. The missions are based on your level and the number of party members (up to 4 players). In multi-player mode your character is separate from the character in single player mode…so yes you will have to create a “new” character; overall it would be a lot easier to grind through levels if you can co-op with someone else for the levels instead of soloing dungeons. You get rewarded with prizes accordingly to how well you did in the missions.

Overall, I really like this game. Sadly US gamers won’t be able to get it until next year. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek:

As promised, here’s the ad for the upcoming games for the Nintendo DS that was in the FFCC: Ring of Fates manual. (left) Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Fuketsu no Gurimoa and (right) Final Fantasy IV both for the DS. I’ll probably get the imports of both those when they’re available. I’ve been calling about Tactics A2 for DS all week so hopefully that should be here soon!

So with Ring of Fates and those two imports (just mentioned in the spoiler), not to mention the FFXI expansion which I might be interested in, my Final Fantasy cravings should be more than satisfied! Of course, for those you waiting for the US versions, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to let you guys know how they are.

Speaking of imports and US versions, one last note about Ring of Fate — I don’t recommend buying the import unless you understand a lot of kanji. If your overall Japanese is just conversational, that might not cut it here. So level up! Or wait til next year…

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (ゼルダの伝説 夢幻の砂時計) comes out tomorrow (the 23rd of June 2007) in Japan. Last night I asked Jon to stop by an import game store down in Chinatown, just in case there’s a slight chance they would have it. Turns out they just got it in. So yes, I own a copy of Phantom Hourglass even before the Japanese release, I’m such a baller… or maybe just lucky. I like to think I’m a baller…

The graphics are wonderful for an NDS game~! It’s probably over-the-top Japanese cuteness, but hey it is the Windwaker sequel. I’m not a cutesy type of gal, but if the game can do cuteness some justice, then I ain’t complaining. Just as long as you don’t see me with a pink DS…because you know that’s not how I roll. I’ve been dying for a new game to play on my DS ever since I stopped playing Pokemon Pearl (US version) so Dylan can catch up. Phantom Hourglass kept me up pretty late. I wanted to solve the next puzzle, but by then it was already 2am and I had work at 10am. As for the gameplay, most of the action happens in the bottom screen and you use your stylus for everything. You ocassionally have to use the mic for certain puzzles. The directional button isn’t really used for much except to pull the menu out. The same goes with the Y, X, and B, A buttons. I only played a bit of it last night and got to the second island.

Some of the puzzles are a bit tricky since they rely on you knowing Japanese. You will need to read the clues to help solve the puzzles, which are of course in Japanese. If you think that’s a little too difficult, I suggest you wait until the NA release of it. According to Gamestop.com the release date isn’t until October 2007.

What surprised me most wasn’t the game but the text interface. I like how the JP version has furigana over the kanji, for younger kids or even for adults who forgot how a certain kanji is suppose to be read. All you do is put your stylus over a kanji and the furigana appears above it. Pretty nifty if you ask me! This is cool for people who want to play Zelda in Japanese, but can’t read all the kanji. So, for all you importing this game, as long as you know your basic kana, you can still make out the more difficult kanji and look it up in a dictionary if you’re stuck. And as for people who don’t know what furigana is you can read all about it on Wikipedia.

As far as I’m concerned, I’m pretty pleased with the game. The music is awesome, although low at times. I guess my only disappointment is the constant usage of the stylus, be it for moving around, attacking, or even solving puzzles. As a New Yorker, this is just not a train game.

Images above: I scanned in the box art: front and back, the cover of the manual and the page with the main characters. I’ll post a video of the opening or something soon.

The game is coming out with a new expansion this winter. I’m all for a game trying to stay alive, but what happened to caring about what the players want, instead of trying to push more expansions? This will be the 4th expansion to the game. I haven’t beaten any of the earlier expansions, but I managed to have three level 75 jobs and many other jobs around the 50′s and 60′s.

This new expansion will be the same as the others. Right now there’s very little information about what the expansion will come with, but what we do know from the trailer is that there will be new areas to explore. Also, I’m guessing these new areas will not be new player friendly, they’re catering to the veterans of Vana’diel.

I’ve mentioned this before how I was a die-hard fan of FFXI. I guess most of it was for personal reasons, as well as it being my first MMORPG. The thing I hate about FFXI is the lack of individual growth. Everything end-game had to be done with 6-18 or more people. It was also a popularity contest. If you even argued with any one person, you would be hated by all members of that linkshell.

I believe that smaller circles for missions make it less daunting than the task of pleasing more than 18+ people at a time. After playing since the Playstation 2′s release of the game back in early 2004, I decided that I would stop playing while still keeping my account alive. Why is it still around? I invested a lot of time on the game and met a lot of people that I’ve shared lots of memories with. I don’t want to lose that just yet. My real life friend who still plays the game messages me pretty often about stuff that is happening in game, like the “Adventurer Appreciation Campaign”. I will most likely pick up the expansion, but even if I did I would only play a bit of it and then stop. Like I did with the Treasures of Aht Urhgan. I installed the expansion, downloaded the patches and found ways to get to the new areas. Met up with my small linkshell, unlocked the new jobs and that was about it.

Lately, looking back, I realize that I have a lot of issues with FFXI’s gameplay especially after playing FFXII. FFXII is a gorgeous game even though it has it’s own issues. I know I sound like some fangirl, but I’m not kidding. Compared to the lack of color and depth in FFXI, FFXII is both visually beautiful and meaningful where you actually care about the well-being of the people of Dalmasca. I also like it that the gameplay in FFXII makes it that more feasible that you don’t need a hoard of people to take down an evil empire. On the other hand, FFXI makes it feel like you’re replaceable by another person with the same job only because you have weaker gear and also because you’re a different race playing a job people think you’re not suited for and not because they’re more skilled. When I play FFXII I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot more after taking down the Elite Mark like Trickster with simple gambits, rather than depending on a guy who just wants to leech exp and he’s leveling a job like white mage because he knows he will get picked up faster than a dragoon, only to get you killed minutes later and your home point is back in Windurst.

Is Tally excited? No, not until FFXI actually makes some real improvement like: make it easier to play the game than to log on everyday just to accomplish one objective. Not everyone’s going to school and have summer breaks to “catch up”. Also, SE should look into making it more fun to solo, because I believe that people should be able to exercise and enjoy their individual freedom in addition to the forced conformity FFXI dictates.

The game in a way, is very simple and very “cute” if you want to go there and call it that. I like games that pay attention to little details, for example the bike. I love that bike more than anything…if not more than my Pokémons in game. I would ride it everywhere I go except indoors…because you simply “can’t” (T_T)…anyway I digress…This game is finally hitting the US on the 22nd of April. Yippee! One step closer to getting Pokémon Battle Revolution (ポケモンバトルレボリューション) here in US.

I’ve been playing the JP version since I bought it and I’m in about 42hrs, maybe 43hrs? I finally got my 8th badge so now I am on my way to “Victory Road” (official English translation I believe from past games…. it’s referred to as “Champion Road” in Japanese). All I’ve been doing is using all the special “outside of battle” moves that I gained from beating each gym leader to find treasures I have yet to collect from areas I didn’t have access to prior.

I really enjoy the game, not because it has cute pixelated monsters that you capture in a ball, but because the game is a very simple RPG and the characters aren’t annoying. The game has a lot of WiFi capabilities that you can indulge in. I have yet to test them all out since no one else would play the game with me. Maybe when the US version comes out, I can get my DS buddies to play with me. If they refuse, I will just taunt them with how my Pokémons can kick their asses any day, until they give in. Ah…see it’s working already…just got some evil eyes from Dylan Garret, our resident music guru… He also just denied it by saying “I don’t resort to such petty tactics” while giving me more evil eyes…

WARNING:
There are SPOILERS up ahead. PLEASE refrain from reading this if you’re faint at heart and will “die” if you simply see any kind of spoilers. I will not be held accountable for exposing you to the awesomeness of Pokémon Diamond, which you could not handle. The following was brought to you by Tally (me) with my ghetto style of video capture (via my camera).

Click below for the video/photo spoilers:

Here’s a short clip of my character showing off her “wheels” in Nomose City. It’s the 4th Gym.

Second video (I’m on a roll!) of me riding around, but I stop inside the Gym to solve the water puzzle. I took this video after beating all the trainers and getting my badge so you won’t see the battle with the Gym Leader, Makishi.

My saved file. Too bad you only get one save file. Make it count!

What does the file mean? My character name is Tally (har har)
I played 41:57 hours (really?!)
8 badges (yay!)
124 Pokemon recorded in the Pokedex

Here are all the badges you get. I polished them up (see how they’re glittering?) for this money shot.

Tally’s “Trainer Card” it has all the info about you, such as your ID no. (which I think might be the same for everyone?), your character’s name, money, Pokemon seen, score, playing time, and the date you started.

This is the part that makes this game a little more special, the appearance of Dialga for Pokémon Diamond the Time Pokemon.

Akagi (boss) awakens Dialga (he’s so cool looking). Professor Rowan and Hikaru tells you that you must stop Dialga or the world will be destroyed.

Team Galactic’s Mars and Jupiter step in, to block you from stopping Dialga. So you get into a double battle. Shigeru (my rival’s name) battles along side you. His Pokemons kind of suck though!

After the battle you see Akagi, ordering Dialga to unleash it’s ultimate power.

BUT what’s this??? The legendary Trio, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie that you saved earlier, just stopped Dialga from using his powers.

Now it’s time for you to kick Akagi’s ass! After you beat Akagi, you get to battle Dialga. You either have to defeat him or capture him with the ultra ball (hyper ball in japanese). I caught him after several resets and retries. He is really hard to capture.

That’s all I have to share for now. I haven’t beaten the game yet, the game is pretty long, another thing I usually look for in an RPG. I hope you guys enjoy the clips and photos!

See also:

• FFIV's Remake Coming Soon!
• FFIV’s Remake Coming Soon!
• Pitt’s Purge YouTube video
• A Tribe Called Quest sneakers by Puma
• Grindhouse Clips: Death Proof

]]> http://www.popcultureshock.com/pokemon-diamond/41376/feed/ 305 http://www.popcultureshock.com/cooking-mama-good-not-mine/41275/ http://www.popcultureshock.com/cooking-mama-good-not-mine/41275/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2007 19:07:51 +0000 Tally Chan http://www.popcultureshock.com/cooking-mama-good-not-mine/41275/ I bought the DS Lite about a year back when it came out in the States. I got it and Brain Age (like you all didn’t buy it!) from Nintendo World, New Super Mario Bros. from Best Buy and Phoenix Wright from J&L. Three games from three stores — all in the same day! (I told you I have gaming addiction!)

The very first import game I bought, which I had to order from Yesasia.com was Cooking Mama. Like many other fans of Nintendo’s quirky DS lineup, especially Japanese games… (more Phoenix Wright, yes please!), I loved Cooking Mama. And please do not go on saying how “girls only like these kind of games” because I know guys who actually enjoy making takoyaki just as much as I do, if not more.

To go with my “addiction” I usually write up a list of games I want to buy. Cooking Mama: Cook Off was one of those games that I was waiting to play with my beloved Wii. Sadly, Mama has lost some of her special charm jumping from the DS to the Wii.

The biggest problem is control. You’d think with the Wii-mote this would be an area of improvement! But the cursor in the Wii version is so small that you always waste precious time just getting your Wii-mote in the right position. Because of this, tasks which were handled with relative ease with the DS stylus, peeling potatoes for example, have suddenly become frustratingly difficult — and that’s coming from someone who was good at the DS version (I finished the handheld version in less than a few hours of getting it in the mail).

What makes this bad play control situation worse are the skimpy explanations of what exactly you’re supposed to be doing. Since you never quite get a clear picture on how you’re supposed to move or even hold the controller sometimes, you suffer a lot of trial and error. It’s times like this when you really appreciate the detailed explanations of WarioWare — those Jack Handey “Deep Thoughts”-style explanations are informative *and* entertaining!

Yet another reason why things aren’t as clear as they could be is because Cooking Mama speaks in bad Engrish! She seems to have mastered the compliments — badly accented encouragements like “Wonderful!” and “Better than Mama!” — but when you mess up, Mama says “Good, not mine!” I don’t even know what this is supposed to mean?? Is she disowning me??

WHY DOES MAMA SPEAK BROKEN ENGLISH?? I’m a little insulted by this. In fact I think this bothers me more than the bad control!

All in all, I’m sad to say you might just want to pass on Mama’s tough love this time around — especially with a price tag of 50 bucks?!?! How about you make meee proud next time Mama?!

Even though, Cooking Mama: Cook Off kind of makes me want to cry and put away my cooking knife, I still want to go over to Nintendo World this Saturday to get a free apron and make the little kids cry with my “culinary” skills!

See also:

• Mama starts Cooking on Wii Today
• Cooking Mama: Cook Off
• New Music: Lil’ Mama – “Hustler Girl”
• Square Enix Throws Half-Off Sale On Select iOS Games
• Resident Evil: Revelations Demo Leads The Charge Of Thursday’s Free Demos For 3DS

]]> http://www.popcultureshock.com/cooking-mama-good-not-mine/41275/feed/ 10 http://www.popcultureshock.com/cooking-mama-cook-off/41193/ http://www.popcultureshock.com/cooking-mama-cook-off/41193/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:44:31 +0000 Tally Chan http://www.popcultureshock.com/cooking-mama-cook-off/41193/ The game is finally being released in the states tomorrow. They keep pushing the date back and I’m starting to lose faith in these “release dates”. Let’s just hope this game will actually be shipped on Tuesday and goes on sale on Wednesday the 21st.

*crosses fingers* Mama needs us to make good food, damnit! (T_T)

See also:

• Mama starts Cooking on Wii Today
• Cooking Mama — Good, Not Mine!
• Square Enix Throws Half-Off Sale On Select iOS Games
• Marvel Tuesday Teases: Sky Doll, Dark X-Men, X-Babies
• DC Tuesday Teases: Batman Gets a Girlfriend, Cinderella Goes Undercover

]]> http://www.popcultureshock.com/cooking-mama-cook-off/41193/feed/ 4 http://www.popcultureshock.com/new-york-comic-con-2007-photos/41043/ http://www.popcultureshock.com/new-york-comic-con-2007-photos/41043/#comments Tue, 27 Feb 2007 04:36:00 +0000 Tally Chan http://www.popcultureshock.com/new-york-comic-con-2007-photostream/41043/
Brian K. Vaughan at Midtown Comics

Brian K. Vaughan at Midtown Comics

Khary Randolph & Boondocks Co-Director LeSean Thomas

LeSean Thomas & PCS’ Howard Brown

Howard Brown & Konami’s Michael Shelling

Simone Bianchi at work

Simone Bianchi & Illusion TV Girl, Ashlee

Allhiphop.com Founder Chuck Creekmur & PCS’ Howard Brown

Celia Calle & booth babe boy

DJ Dylan Garret working it

Crayon Shinchan!

Bruce Lee!

Rich Johnston checking out at Midtown

LeSean Thomas (and PCS TV) at Midtown Comics

Naruto cosplayers

I want this game!

Pikachu

Pokemon card players

Timonthy Zahn at Midtown

Host Michael Davis and Reginald Hudlin at the Black Panel

PCS’ Jon Haehnle filming the BET Black Panel

PCS’ Jon Haehnle making the next move

BET’s Denys Cowan and Reginald Hudlin

Midtown’s Tom Galitos & PCS’ Dylan Garret

Sunday night after the show the PCS crew had dinner at Go!

For more convention pics, check Midtown Comics’ NYCC photo gallery!

See also:

• Boondocks Co-Director Working On New Marvel Cartoon
• Y – The Last Man #50 Preview
• Astonishing X-Men #27 Preview
• Ultimate Origins #5 Preview
• Comics for August 1

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