January Video Game Preview Thread

RC Cola · Jan 2, 2007

PC:
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Fantasy Online Role-Playing) 1/16
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (Fantasy Online Role-Playing) 1/29

Xbox 360:
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Sci-Fi Shooter) 1/12

Wii:
WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Party Game) 1/15

DS:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice (Adventure) 1/16
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (Adventure) 1/22

PS2:
Rogue Galaxy (Action Role-Playing) 1/30

Multi:
NCAA March Madness 07 (Basketball Sim) [360, PS2] 1/17

RC Cola · Jan 2, 2007

WoW: The Burning Crusade (PC)

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/worldofwarcraftexp1/news.html?sid=6162354

Finally, regular players will be pleased to know that Blizzard's sense of humor remains intact. Inside the World's End Tavern (referencing a famous pub in Camden, London), you'll see "famous socialite" Haris Pilton with her worg-pup Tinkerbell, and one of the new battlemasters in Shattrath City is none other then Adam Eternium himself (He-Man, for anybody who doesn't get the reference). Overall the expansion is shaping up nicely for its mid-January release, and we'll have more on The Burning Crusade before then--so stay tuned.
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Vanguard (PC)

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/vanguard/news.html?sid=6161763

The fantasy realm is a popular one for massively multiplayer role-playing games, as these magical settings let you play as a completely different race and do all sorts of heroic deeds, such as clearing out infested dungeons, slaying dragons, and generally killing everything hostile that stands in your way. With Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Sony Online Entertainment and Sigil Games, which was founded by creators of the famed EverQuest, are preparing a whole new fantasy world to explore. And there are over a dozen character classes, or careers, that you can pursue in the game. In our previous preview we covered the first five, and now we present another 10 so you can study up and figure out what you want to play as when the game launches in January.
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Lost Planet (360)

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/lostplanet/story.html?sid=6162288

Earlier this week, we were offered a sneak peek at the Lost Planet: Extreme Condition one-map multiplayer demo that will be gracing the Xbox Live Marketplace on November 23. Furthermore, we had an opportunity to do battle with Capcom employees and other media outlets on a second map, which will be made available to anyone preordering the game from November 24 onward via a redeemable code. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition's multiplayer games will support up to 16 players online, though we never had more than 12 playing simultaneously on this occasion.
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WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii)

http://www.gamespot.com/wii/puzzle/wariowaresmoothmoves/news.html?sid=6162922

With its numerous uses of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk and its great sense of style, WarioWare: Smooth Moves appears to be a big part of what Nintendo was talking about when it proclaimed that the Wii was going to be trying something different. Yes, the game's mechanics are firmly rooted in the conventions of the WarioWare series, but it also goes out of its way to make you use the Wii Remote in new and interesting ways. Be sure to check for it when it's released in North America this January.
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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice (DS)

http://www.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/phoenixwrightaceattorney2/news.html?sid=6150969

One of last year's most pleasant surprises for the Nintendo DS was Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, a quirky anime-style adventure game in which you play as an aspiring defense attorney with awesome hair. He needed to crack a number of tough cases by cross-examining witnesses, collecting evidence, and compelling the jury to see his client's innocence. But Phoenix Wright's legal adventures are far from finished, it seems. While we didn't see the game on the E3 show floor, judging by the new trailer, Phoenix Wright: Justice for All will offer more of the same brand of adventure gameplay that made the original so much fun.
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Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS)

No preview at Gamespot yet.

Rogue Galaxy (PS2)

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/roguegalaxy/news.html?sid=6162622

Rogue Galaxy has been impressing us so far with its variety of unique gameplay, good looks, and appreciable level of charm. Will it hold up to scrutiny once its presumably grandiose adventure is done? We'll have the final verdict on that when the game hits shelves early next year.
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NCAA March Madness 07 (Multi)

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/sports/ncaamarchmadness07/news.html?sid=6163247

EA Sports has taken a chance by releasing their college basketball game in the middle of the real college-hoops season and several months after their direct competitor. Still, an early 2007 release makes sense in a way--the holiday rush will be over, conference play will be just getting started, and the NCAA Tournament will be coming to the forefront of the sporting world. Of course, March Madness 07's success will have less to do with its release date and more to do with its gameplay, and we'll have a full review of the game once the game is released in mid-January. Until then, stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.
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AXG · Jan 2, 2007

I'm looking forward to Lost Planet and Forza 2 on the 360.

doboyz · Jan 3, 2007

Sigh..my life is over once Burning Crusade is out. Damn you blizzard...damn you to hell!

Faos · Jan 3, 2007

I thought I read that UT2007 would be out for PC's in January.

Xerobull · Jan 3, 2007

doboyz said:

Sigh..my life is over once Burning Crusade is out. Damn you blizzard...damn you to hell!
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1/6/7: The day all other MMOs became ghost towns.

FranchiseBlade · Jan 3, 2007

I hope Vanguard actually comes out in Jan. I am looking forward to it. I played the original EQ and EQ II as well as WoW.

I think the most fun I had in any of them was in original EQ. WoW is just too easy with little meaningful death penalties, and the cartoony style of graphics isn't my preference. They do a good job of doing that style, but I just don't prefer it.

Vanguard supposedly puts some of the challenge back in mmorpg's that WoW took out. I am looking forward to it.

RC Cola · Jan 3, 2007

Faos said:

I thought I read that UT2007 would be out for PC's in January.
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I think it has been TBA or Q1 2007 for a while now. January might have been thrown out there as a target date or something though. Epic has had a really big workload lately, so I can understand them taking more time in releasing the game (especially if they have to spend a lot of time trying to get UE3.0 to work well on the PS3).

I'd expect an update pretty soon...maybe even confirmation that it will ship within the next few months.

RC Cola · Jan 12, 2007

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (360)
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=2676984

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition makes shooting giant bugs every bit as fun as it should be, and even though it ends too quickly, you'll have a blast while it lasts.
The Good: Massive bosses and thick swarms of enemies keep the action intense; large, varied stages; great-looking environments, effects, and creatures that don't cripple the frame rate; addictive multiplayer will keep you playing after you've finished the single-player game.
The Bad: The single-player game can easily be finished in seven or eight hours; scatterbrained story doesn't make much sense.
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Gameplay 8
Graphics 8
Sound 7
Value 7
Tilt 9
Overall 8.1
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8.1 at Gamespot, 78 at Metacritic.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii)
http://www.gamespot.com/wii/puzzle/wariowaresmoothmoves/review.html?sid=6164180

The Wii and WarioWare are a perfect match.
The Good: Terrific use of the Wii Remote; fantastic visual style; plenty of variety; smart multiplayer modes that make good use of the mii channel; great unlockables.
The Bad: The story mode is over too soon.
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Gameplay 9
Graphics 9
Sound 8
Value 8
Tilt 10
Overall 9.1
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9.1 at Gamespot, 82 at Metacritic.

Coach AI · Jan 12, 2007

I feel a little better about Lost Planet. I thought the demo was fantastic; but the reviews seem all over the place.

And yeah, WarioWare is the first Wii game I've been looking forward to since the system's launch and Zelda.

Faos · Jan 23, 2007

360 Crackdown demo out today

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/01/23/demo-crackdown.aspx

Anyone tried it?

RC Cola · Jan 26, 2007

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice (DS)
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/phoenixwrightaceattorney2/review.html?sid=6164255

Justice for All is a good, lengthy adventure with great character-driven storylines, but it fails to build upon the promising groundwork laid by the first game.
The Good: Wonderful characters; cases and storylines are very interesting, especially the last one; music is fantastic; gameplay is very satisfying when you get on a roll during a court case.
The Bad: Not only does it not have any new touch-screen features, it's missing several from the first game; game is very linear and relies too heavily on finding or doing one small thing to trigger the next event; plays almost exactly the same as the previous game.
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Gameplay 7
Graphics 8
Sound 8
Value 8
Tilt 8
Overall 7.7
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7.7 at Gamespot, 76 at Metacritic

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS)
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/hotelduskroom215/review.html?sid=6164619

Hotel Dusk weaves an absorbing noir-style mystery with traditional adventure game elements and stylish presentation and does it all with a deft touch.
The Good: Classic detective noir storyline that's both clever and thoughtful; character graphics are sharp and uniquely styled; puzzle solving is generally quite logical; top-notch dialogue.
The Bad: Protracted item/people-hunting situations periodically rear their ugly heads; story sometimes telegraphs its intentions; molasses-esque pacing will probably drive some people up the wall.
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Gameplay 8
Graphics 9
Sound 7
Value 7
Tilt 9
Overall 8.2
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8.2 at Gamespot, 81 at Metacritic.

NCAA March Madness 07 (Multi)
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/sports/ncaamarchmadness07/review.html?sid=6164478

Beneath numerous flaws there's a decent basketball game in March Madness 07, but you've got to dig too deep to find it.
The Good: Great-looking player models; using the lockdown stick to d-up players works well; player and crowd emotion add to the college atmosphere; freestyle control makes dribbling a breeze.
The Bad: Absurd ball physics; too few game modes; not enough camera angles; shoddy player ai; too many fouls.
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Gameplay 6
Graphics 7
Sound 7
Value 7
Tilt 7
Overall 6.7
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6.7 at Gamespot, 71 at Metacritic for 360 version.

Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/roguegalaxy/review.html?sid=6163987

Like an anime version of Star Wars, this big, lavishly produced action RPG is another good reason not to shelve your PlayStation 2 just yet.
The Good: Beautifully crafted, imaginative sci-fi gameworld; deep item customization, minigames, and other extras; a variety of different playable characters.
The Bad: Action-packed combat can feel haphazard or too repetitive; environments look good but mostly consist of basic rooms and corridors.
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Gameplay 7
Graphics 9
Sound 8
Value 9
Tilt 8
Overall 8.0
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8.0 at Gamespot, 86 at Metacritic.

BTW, I think this is the last review by Greg Kasavin; he's now working at EA.

One game I didn't preview...

Sid Meier's Pirates! (PSP)

http://psp.ign.com/articles/757/757569p1.html

Sid Meier's Pirates! Live the Life is a really good port of an absolutely classic game. It's not perfect by any means, as sneaking into town and some of the presentation isn't quite as PSP-friendly as we'd hoped, but everything that makes Pirates! what it is is here and in fantastic form. The most important elements, like ship battles, exploration and such are identical to what you 'd find on the PC, which is really what matters. If you own a PSP, head to the nearest port and hand over some booty for this one.
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8.0 Presentation
Some text-heavy menus aren't as PSP-friendly as they could be, but everything else is great.
7.5 Graphics
Wide open seas, nice looking characters and plenty of ship detail.
8.0 Sound
Nice sound effects and very addictive music go a long way.
9.0 Gameplay
The original "do anything" game is here and nearly 100% intact.
9.5 Lasting Appeal
You could play this game a billion times and never live the same life.
9.0 Overall
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9.0 at IGN, no score at Metacritic. IGN is the only place to review the game, so who knows...the PC version has a 88 IIRC. Also, you can get the game for $20 at EB or GS (or their online stores anyway).

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January Video Game Preview Thread

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