Shacknews Holiday Buying Guide 2006

Here in the States, it's Black Friday, the day of deals, ridiculous crowds, and stores putting out their hidden shipments of PS3 and Wii. Holiday shopping season is officially in gear. To help you wade through a year's worth of game and system releases, Shacknews has prepared this comprehensive cross-platform holiday buying guide. Note that while a few games published on multiple platforms are listed separately on the various platform pages, the rest of the included multiplatform titles are compiled after the main console pages. Enjoy! Page 1: PC games Page 2: Game consoles Page 3: PlayStation 2/PlayStation 3
Page 4: Xbox 360 Page 5: GameCube/Wii Page 6: Portable games Page 7: Multiplatform games PC games The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios; Publisher: Bethesda Softworks/2K Games With the latest entry in its long running series of sprawling, non-linear Elder Scrolls adventures, Bethesda blew RPG fans away--along with most other gamers. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a massive, well crafted, and incredibly absorbing world that will keep any RPG fan busy for dozens and dozens of hours. It came out early in the year, but Bethesda is keeping the community going strong with continued releases of low-priced downloadable content that show no sign of slowing down. Also available on Xbox 360, Oblivion warrants a mention in the sections for its individual platforms given some differences between the two versions, not in out of the box game content but in terms of what you can do with it yourself. If you're interested in using or creating custom user mods for the game, the PC will be the platform of choice here. More from Shack: Hands on preview, interview Half-Life 2: Episode One

Developer: Valve Software; Publisher: Valve Software Half-Life 2: Episode One, Valve's first stab at episodic game development, clocks in at anywhere from three to six hours on your first playthrough, but ends up being one of the best single-player first person shooters to come along since, well, Half-Life 2. Making up for its relatively short length, Valve's designers packed the game absolutely full of great encounters and action. In many ways, its content density and quality of pacing exceeds Half-Life 2's, despite featuring largely similar--but altered--environments. The inclusion of Alyx as a companion is handled far better than most AI buddies, and a great deal of work clearly went into making her expressive and useful. Plus, once you've gone through the game, you can double your playtime by going through again with the excellent developer commentary enabled. Check out our full review for more. Half-Life 2: Episode One is available at retail as well as through Valve's Steam download service. More from Shack: Review, developer interview Galactic Civilizations II: The Dread Lords

Developer: Stardock; Publisher: Stardock Stardock's turn-based space conquest sequel Galactic Civilizations II: The Dread Lords seemingly came out of nowhere, ending up one of the best selling and highest reviewed independently developed and published games of the year. GalCiv2 belongs to what PC gamers have dubbed the 4X genre, which in a less extreme world would be called 4E, as it stands for exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination--in other words, this is high-level strategy, not skirmish-based micromanagement. And it's in space. Like any good game in this genre, GalCiv2 offers many ways to achieve your goals, and the breadth and cleverness of the game is extremely impressive. With a huge number of options and an uncommonly robust AI, this is one for strategy fans to keep in mind. Galactic Civilizations II is available at retail as well as through the Stardock download service. Company of Heroes

Developer: Relic Entertainment; Publisher: THQ Demo Acclaimed strategy game developer Relic (Homeworld series, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series) threw two entries into the ever-growing library of World War II-themed games this year, the Xbox 360 action game The Outfit and the PC strategy title Company of Heroes. Of the two it has been the second one that has stuck in gamers' minds as one of the most engaging and polished games of the year. Setting itself apart from most strategy games with its impressive and cinematic presentation, and from its fellow World War II games by, well, being a strategy game in the first place, Company of Heroes lives up to Relic's reputation for quality RTS with a unique take on the intensity of combat. Battlefield 2142

Developer: Digital Illusions CE; Publisher: Electronic Arts Demo Continuing the series' theme of moving chronologically through eras of war, Battlefield 2142 takes the large-scale multiplayer shooter franchise into the future. Battlefield 2142 doesn't really reinvent the formula that has made the Battlefield line one of the most popular online multiplayer experiences around, but it does add a persistent aspect to character improvement, the new Titan gameplay mode, and of course a new fictional setting. There are various other tweaks, but most of it is pretty iterative. The bottom line is that if you need more Battlefield, this is what's next. More from Shack: Developer interview, hands on preview Dark Messiah of Might and Magic

Developer: Arkane Studios; Publisher: Ubisoft Demo Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is the second project from French developer Arkane Studios, whose first game Arx Fatalis was well received when it was released back in 2002. Powered by the Source Engine, Dark Messiah does a great job of using the engine's physics abilities for unique gameplay moments. The game also features solid melee combat, and the ability to upgrade combat, magic and stealth skills--though don't expect a full RPG experience, as the focus is very much on the action. It's also best to ignore the cliche-laden plot. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is available at retail as well as through Valve's Steam download service. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War -- Dark Crusade

Developer: Relic Entertainment; Publisher: THQ Demo Relic was widely praised for 2004's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, and the company followed up last year with the Winter Assault expansion pack, which added the Imperial Guard army. This year, the Dark Crusade expansion pack adds the Tau and the Necron to the game. Dark Crusade is much more than an expansion, however. It can also be played as a standalone game, and contains a new map-based persistent single-player campaign that brings some new elements to the franchise. For fans of Dawn of War, this is a must, but it can also serve as its own intro to the franchise. Sid Meier's Civilization Chronicles

Developer: Firaxis Games; Publisher: 2K Games Civilization Chronicles collects all four of Sid Meier's classic Civilization turn-based strategy conquest games, as well as all of the series' expansion packs with the exception of the recent Civilization IV: Warlords. Also included is a copy of the Civilization card game created by Civ IV lead designer Soren Johnson; a book on the Civilization series containing historical accounts and interviews with Meier, Johnson, and others; and a DVD containing footage about the making of Civilization IV, all put together in an attactive and elegant package. In short, it's the perfect gift for Civilization fans/addicts. Next: Game consoles. _PAGE_BREAK_ Game consoles There were several major console hardware releases this year including the new PlayStation 3 and Wii, and with last year's launch of the Xbox 360 we have now fully entered this current generation of consoles. Here's what's new (and recent) along with some 2006 game highlights for each system. For a more detailed rundown of this year's game releases, keep reading the guide. PlayStation 3 Manufacturer: Sony Computer Entertainment Price: $499 (20GB HDD); $599 (60GB HDD, wi-fi, flash card support) Sony's successor to its enormously popular PlayStation 2 is here, and for many people that's all that needs to be said. Out of the box, PlayStation 3 plays Blu-ray movies and a variety of media types, can download demos and and small original games, and goes online for multiplayer action. The Sixaxis controller ditches rumble feedback, but adds an internal tilt sensor that can be used as control in certain games. In light of the hefty price tag, the launch game library is rather lacking with a few exceptions, particularly considering most of the available titles have also been published on other platforms. Still, for those looking forward to the list of major PlayStation family exclusives, this is the place to be. Next year, the library should fill out quite a bit. The machine is also backwards compatible with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, with a few holes that Sony promises to fill with software updates. If you decide to take the plunge, finding one is a challenge. Demand is extremely high, and supply is relatively low, ensuring that it flies off the shelves as soon as it's stocked. Notable 2006 games: Resistance: Fall of Man, Ridge Racer 7, Call of Duty 3 More from Shack: System impressions, more system impressions, launch lineup list Wii Manufacturer: Nintendo Price: $250 (inc. game) Nintendo's direction with the Wii is radically different from the philosophies behind Xbox 360 and PS3; the system's relatively modest graphical capabilities (and resulting lower price tag) and focus on its motion-sensitive controller take it out of head to head competition with Microsoft and Sony's machines and give it a more unique angle. Out of the gate, software support is mixed but on the whole not bad for a launch, with a number of unseemly quick and dirty ports fortunately balanced out by some solid exclusives and even a few multiplatform titles with Wii-specific designs. There's no online multiplayer yet, but the system's Virtual Console sells classic titles from the NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16. The machine will also play the entire GameCube library. Wii comes packaged with the Wii Sports collection, which looks like it could be the best chance you'll ever have to convince non-gamers to pick up a controller. Nintendo has delivered relatively strong supply for a system launch, but that has been outpaced by demand, so you might still face a challenge picking up a unit in a timely fashion. Notable 2006 games: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Trauma Center: Second Opinion More from Shack: System impressions, more system impressions, Virtual Console impressions, launch lineup list Xbox 360 Manufacturer: Microsoft Price: $299 (no hard drive); $399 (20GB HDD, wireless controller, headeset) It was released last year, but Microsoft's second Xbox is going strong. Particularly a year on, Xbox 360 has by far the most seamless and complete online experience available on any of the three current home consoles, and it is likely to hold that title indefinitely if Xbox Live keeps getting better. The system got some notable exclusives this year, with some more big exclusive and multiplatform games scheduled for 2007. Xbox Live Arcade also continues to add online-enabled ports of classic arcade titles as well as new downloadable games from independent developers, and just this week Microsoft launched a service allowing users to buy television episodes and rent movies through the Xbox Live Marketplace. A word to the wise for those looking to take the plunge: ignore the $299 Core unit, as without a hard drive you'll end up having to buy at the very least a $40 memory unit with a pithy 64MB of storage; just stick with the better value of the standard package. Notable 2006 games: Gears of War, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion DS Lite
Manufacturer: Nintendo Price: $129 Addressing some aesthetic weaknesses of the original Nintendo DS, Nintendo this year released the DS Lite, a slimmer, lighter, brighter, and more attractive version of the hardware. Though functionally the same, the system significantly brighter screen, bigger stylus, and longer battery life (if using a lower brightness setting) make it a worthwhile upgrade for DS owners and a no brainer for those new to the system. The system has made a name for itself with a plentiful lineup of exclusives spanning traditional genres and more offbeat fare, which gives it a unique spot in any gamer's collection. Notable 2006 games: New Super Mario Bros., Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day More from Shack: System impressions Next: PlayStation 2/PlayStation 3. _PAGE_BREAK_ PlayStation 2/PlayStation 3 Unlike its competitors Xbox and GameCube, PlayStation 2 seems to have quite a bit of life left in it, with big name exclusives continuing into 2007 and and an enormous library and affordable price sure to sustain it even longer. This year proved to be a strong one for the PS2, and here are some of the titles to consider picking up this holiday season. PlayStation 3 is here as well, and with it the first round of PS3 games. It's not the strongest launch lineup of all time, and the system is likely to pick up a lot more steam next year, but below are our picks from the system's launch exclusives (multiplatform titles are collected later in the article). PlayStation 2 Final Fantasy XII Developer: Square Enix; Publisher: Square Enix Every main entry in Square's long running Final Fantasy series of RPGs receives high acclaim and high sales, and Final Fantasy XII is no exception. This latest entry introduces one of the series' biggest evolutions in years, with its flow-chart-esque "gabmit" system that allows the player to create contextual combat behaviors for all the members of the party. Final Fantasy XII's grand world of Ivalice is inspired equally by European influences and the Star Wars prequels, pulling off some impressive feats with the PS2 hardware. The gambit system has been met with some controversy, but by most accounts Final Fantasy XII is one of the series' most well crafted and epic adventures yet. Okami Developer: Clover Studio; Publisher: Capcom Seen by some as Capcom's answer to Zelda, Clover Studio's Okami is one of the most visually inspired and creative games in recent memory. Casting the player as a wolf incarnation of the sun god Amaterasu, Okami is steeped in Japanese mythology and is loosely based on a number of classical legends. Structurally and gameplay-wise, the game is indeed similar to the Zelda series, consisting of exploration, action, puzzle-solving, and dungeon progression. What ties everything together is the remarkably well-realized world, which is rendered in a gorgeous cel-shaded style evocative of traditional Japanese watercolor that is perfectly suited to the game's subject matter. With numerous memorable moments and solid gameplay throughout, Okami is a great choice for adventure-oriented gamers. Sadly, Clover Studio is no more, but a game of this level of quality coming from such a short lived developer stands as a massive achievement. Guitar Hero II
Developer: Harmonix; Publisher: RedOctane Harmonix's Guitar Hero series, with its blend of accessibility and challenge as well as its half-tongue-in-cheeck, half-genuine rock star attitude, has proved itself to be a hit among gamers and non-gamers alike, particularly at friendly get-togethers. Guitar Hero II does basically the same thing as its predecessor, just bigger and better. It has a new song list, a much-requested practice mode, and, best of all, new multiplayer options that allow two players to rock out collaboratively with their choices of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, or bass guitar, depending on the song. More from Shack: Hands on impressions Bully Developer: Rockstar Vancouver; Publisher: Rockstar Games Despite becoming one of the most controversial mainstream video games of all time prior to its actual release, the furor surrounding Bully dissipated almost immediately once it hit store shelves and it became clear that the game, with its essentially anti-bullying message, was not likely to turn innocent children into killing machines. Fortunately for gamers, the game itself turned out solid, with Rockstar Vancouver adapting Rockstar North's successful Grand Theft Auto III-derived formula to the halls and environs of archetypal east coast prep school Bullworth Academy, where protagonist Jimmy Hopkins attends (and/or skips) classes, evades administrators, acquires new skills, and comes into conflict with the school's various cliques. Rockstar's trademark wit is in top form here. Note: outside of North America, Bully is titled Canis Canem Edit. Kingdom Hearts II Developer: Square Enix; Publisher: Square Enix Square's original Kingdom Hearts was either a surprisingly huge sucess or a guaranteed hit depending on how you feel about Disney and Square characters, who join up in the Square-produced action RPG epic. Square Enix's sequel Kingdom Hearts II gives series fans more of what they loved the first time around, adding more worlds and characters from both company's properties. Notable additions to the mix include Tron, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Gamers who didn't enjoy the gameplay of the first game are unlikely to change their minds with this, but fans of the original or of Disney characters--who are rarely represented as well in game form as they are here--will have a good time. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Developer: Kojima Productions; Publisher: Konami Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence is not a new game, but rather an update of 2004's highly regarded Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Subsistence probably isn't necessary for those who have already completed Snake Eater, but it's definitely the version of choice for newcomers to the game, adding long overdue camera control that breaks from the series fixed top-down perspective. Subsistence also includes Metal Gear's own unique take on online multiplayer. Finally, classic gaming fans will enjoy the inclusion of straight ports of the original MSX titles Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Much like going back to the original The Legend of Zelda after the series' modern incarnations, going back to the original Metal Gear is surprising in how many series conventions have remained constant throughout. God Hand Developer: Clover Studio; Publisher: Capcom The other original game to be released this year by now-defunct Clover Studio, God Hand is a hilarious and deliberately old-school 3D brawler. It is rare to see a whole-hearted attempt at taking classics like Final Fight and Double Dragon into 3D, and some of God Hand's camera and control issues may demonstrate why, but despite some poor reviews which seem to have somewhat missed the point, God Hand's strengths outweigh its weaknesses for those interested in a a game with a deep and versatile melee combat system. It is also refreshing to see a game that puts as much of an emphasis on insane humor as God Hand does, with largely visual gags that in many cases highlight and take to an extreme some of the video game cliches that have become par for the course over the decades. God Hand was directed by Resident Evil 4 director Shinji Mikami, and his apparent love for old school video game conventions that was hinted at in that game is out in full force here. God Hand is not for everyone, but as far this type of game goes, it's the best option around. More from Shack: Hands on impressions PlayStation 3 Resistance: Fall of Man

Developer: Insomniac Games; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America The game that clearly comes out on top of the PS3's launch lineup is Resistance: Fall of Man, from Ratchet & Clank series developer Insomniac Games. Resistance takes the immersive cinematic shooter mentality exemplified by franchises such as Call of Duty, and puts it into a sci-fi 20th century alternate history setting in which some strange virus has spread across Europe and the player, as the American soldier Nathan Hale (who, this being a video game, has quite a few lives to lose for his country), must put up Britain's last defense against the impending invasion of the alien force known as the Chimera. Resistance's quality derives not necessarily from its newness, but more from the high level of quality and polish evident throughout, as well as the characteristic creativity in weaponry that Insomniac has exhibited throughout the Ratchet & Clank series. There's frequently quite a lot happening on the screen at a given moment, and the enemy AI is well designed. Multiplayer gamers will be pleased to know that the game supports up to 40 players online. More from Shack: Hands on impressions, early impressions Ridge Racer 7 Developer: Namco; Publisher: Namco Bandai Games There aren't tons of surprises in Ridge Racer 7, but fans of the consistently high-quality racing series will find everything they're looking for here: high speeds, insane drifting, and great looking cars. Plus, this time around there's car customization, which somewhat surprisingly does noticeably add to the core game. It's easy to get online and race with others, and Namco has built a better set of online features and functionality than many of the PlayStation 3 launch games, with the ability to check out worldwide leaderboards and set up your own stat-tracking Ridge State Identification card. All in all, Ridge Racer 7 is a well-designed, complete package. Next: Xbox 360. _PAGE_BREAK_ Xbox 360 With the launch of Xbox 360 late last year, major support for the original Xbox has largely disappeared. While plenty of notable multiplatform games were released on this system in 2006, there were not enough Xbox-specific titles for it to justify its own list. Xbox 360, on the other hand, had a solid year of exclusives and well-handled versions of multiplatform games. Some multiplatform games made their way onto the Xbox 360 list for offering notably different experiences from other versions in some way, or for simply providing the clearly superior experience among the different platforms supported by that particular game. Gears of War Developer: Epic Games; Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Though it was released just this month, Gears of War is likely to quickly become Xbox 360's best selling exclusive and is currently the system's highest-scored game according to major score aggregate sites. Unlike most of Epic's titles, Gears of War goes third person, which is what makes possible the cover system so integral to the game. Rather than running through with guns blazing, which won't keep you alive long in Gears, you proceed through a series of encounters that have you taking cover and fighting through intense gun battles with your hulking alien enemies. It doesn't hurt that Gears of War produces what are by far the most technically impressive graphics on the Xbox 360, and does so smoothly. Gears' atypical gameplay makes for an interesting multiplayer experience as well, supporting up to eight players online. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios; Publisher: Bethesda Softworks/2K Games With the latest entry in its long running series of sprawling, non-linear Elder Scrolls adventures, Bethesda blew RPG fans away (along with most other gamers). The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a massive, well crafted, and incredibly absorbing world that will keep any RPG fan busy for dozens and dozens of hours. It came out early in the year, but Bethesda is keeping the community going strong with continued releases of low-priced downloadable content that show no sign of slowing down. Also available on PC, Oblivion warrants a mention in this section for its individual platforms given some differences between the two versions. The Xbox 360 version does not allow user-created mods, but does still have access to the same paid downloadable content as the PC version. It is also worth noting that some of the game's menus, particularly the radial ones, are perfectly suited to the Xbox 360 controller. More from Shack: Developer interview, hands on impressions Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft Paris; Publisher: Ubisoft Despite also being released on PS2, Xbox, and PC, the Xbox 360 version of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is widely regarded as being the best version of the game available. GRAW, as it is known, is a third- (and occasionally first-) person squad-based shooter that thrusts you into a typically Tom Clancy-esque politically charged plot set in Mexico City. In addition to giving basic instructions to your squadsmates, you have access to a variety of gadgets to aid your survival and surveillance needs, most of which are based around your tactical visor. The visor mechanic helps with a good sense of immersion in the game, creating the impression of being a near-future high-tech soldier (an advanced warfighter, if you will). GRAW also includes a robust multiplayer component. This consists of various versus gametypes, but where it shines is with its online cooperative mode, which supports a surprising 16 players simultaneously. Viva Pinata Developer: Rare; Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Much of the Xbox and Xbox 360 library is oriented towards action titles, particularly the exclusive titles. This is the first thing that sets Viva Pinata, a family-friendly game that draws from the tycoon style of management games, apart from many of its Xbox platform compatriots. Fortunately, it's also a well designed game in its own right. Viva Pinata's world is one inhabited by living pinata-like creatures whose garden environments you must cultivate and grow by way of a variety of different gameplay mechanics. The game also features visuals that are both technically impressive and aesthetically pleasing, creating a coherent and colorful world that avoids looking generic. Parents looking for something to play with their kids should check this one out, but so should any gamer interested in a good management-syle game, a genre that has always been rare on consoles. More from Shack: HD video presentation Dead Rising Developer: Capcom; Publisher: Capcom Capcom has been in top form in recent years across several genres, one of which is the third person action game. This year, the company brought its talents in that arena to the Xbox 360 and added zombies. Though survival horror games are fairly common, Dead Rising's "wading through pools of the undead" experience is actually surprisingly infrequent in video games. As a journalist in the George A. Romero-inspired Dead Rising, you must battle your way through an enormous mall crawling with zombies, rescuing survivors and finding out what went wrong. Overall presentation is great, with frequently vast numbers of zombies on the screen at any one time, great sound design, and a huge number of possible improvised weapons. The game has taken criticism for its unforgiving save system as well as its small text, which is frequently illegible on standard definition televisions. Xbox Live Arcade Developer: various; Publisher: various Xbox Live Arcade continues to deliver a good blend of classic arcade titles and newly developed games from independent developers, all with a standardized set of Xbox Live features such as leaderboards and online play for multiplayer games. Highlights from 2006 include Doom, Zuma Deluxe, Cloning Clyde, and Uno. Next: GameCube/Wii. _PAGE_BREAK_ GameCube/Wii The GameCube has been on its way out for a while now, and with the release of the Wii it is unlikely to get any more big exclusives. That said, there were a couple of solid titles during 2006 that didn't get the attention they could have, and we'll cover those below. Wii, on the other hand, is brand new and, along with the PS3, one of the hot items this holiday season. Its launch lineup suffers from a glut of poor ports no doubt rushed to market following the system's strong E3 showing, but fortunately there were some strong exclusives, as well as multiplatform games with particularly unique Wii versions, to give new Wii owners a good choice of software this year. GameCube The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Developer: Nintendo EAD; Publisher: Nintendo If you have a GameCube but not a Wii, it's a safe assumption that you're already planning on picking this up when it goes on sale in a couple of weeks. Originally intended for release only on GameCube, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a stunning game that serves as a culmination of all of the things that have made the Zelda series great for two decades. It's bigger and has more story than any prior Zelda game, and, of course, it returns to the visual style of fan favorite Ocarina of Time, bringing it up to speed to take advantage of the GameCube hardware. Those familiar with the series will find not only references to and items from past games, but brand new creations and surprising twists. Any fan of action/adventure games should check this out on either platform. Baten Kaitos Origins Developer: Monolith Software; Publisher: Namco/Nintendo Baten Kaitos Origins is Monolith Soft's prequel followup to its original well received roleplaying game Baten Kaitos. As in the first game, the battles in Baten Kaitos origins are card-based, and require a fair amount of micromanagement and planning. Being card-based, there is also a random element to the game which may turn some players off. For those looking for an involved and challenging RPG experience with a hefty amount of content, Baten Kaitos Origins may fit the bill. Chibi-Robo
Developer: Skip Ltd.; Publisher: Nintendo The bizarre premise of Giftpia developer Skip Ltd.'s Chibi-Robo is that you play as a small silver robot that must clean up his employer family's house, solving numerous puzzles along the way and uncovering the family's bizarre background. Chibi-Robo is by no means a technological marvel, but the world is well-realized and has some nice sound design and story touches along with its surprisingly compelling gameplay. The game is clearly aimed towards the younger set, making it a good option for parents seeking something that isn't a licensed cash-in for their kids, but it holds up for older gamers as well. Wii The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Developer: Nintendo EAD; Publisher: Nintendo Originally intended for release only on GameCube, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a stunning game that serves as a culmination of all of the things that have made the Zelda series great for two decades, and it serves as a great flagship launch title for Wii. It's bigger and has more story than any prior Zelda game, and, of course, it returns to the visual style of fan favorite Ocarina of Time, bringing it up to speed to take advantage of the GameCube hardware. Those familiar with the series will find not only references to and items from past games, but brand new creations and surprising twists. The Wii version of the game features widescreen support as well as new controls, letting the player point and shoot using the Wii remote with the bow or slingshot, and swing the remote or nunchuk to perform sword attacks. It all works remarkably well, and if you have a Wii, this should be at the top of your list. More from Shack: Detailed impressions, HD video presentation Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Developer: Sega Entertainment R&D1; Publisher: Sega Sega launched the original Super Monkey Ball alongside the GameCube, and now the series is back with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz to launch alongside Wii. The system's motion-sensitive controller is perfectly suited to the series' world-tilting gameplay, and original designer Toshihiro Nagoshi and his team have created a game that is one of the best demonstrators of the controller's capabilities. Though there's a bit of a learning curve, it quickly becomes a natural and accurate way to control the game, with a tactile quality that adds quite a bit to the experience. The game also includes 50 multiplayer-enabled mini-games; though the high quantity makes them a bit hit or miss, there are some gems that add more value to the excellent package. More from Shack: Review Trauma Center: Second Opinion Developer: Atlus Co.; Publisher: Atlus USA With Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Atlus has developed a remake of its cult favorite surgery sim Trauma Center: Under the Knife for Nintendo DS. The Wii remote is used to direct various surgical implements such as scalpels and needles, while the nunchuk streamlines things by allowing instruments to be selected with the analog stick rather than having to point to them with the cursor. The game adds new missions, a new tool (the defibrillator), and a revamped art style. Though some fans of the original game may object to replaying many of the same missions, for most the experience with the Wii version will be unique enough, and those new to the series will find Second Opinion to be a great use of the system's pointer functionality. More from Shack: Detailed impressions Rayman Raving Rabbids Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier; Publisher: Ubisoft Originally intended as a standard Rayman platformer, Rayman Raving Rabbids became something else entirely when series creator and Beyond Good & Evil designer Michel Ancel decided to rebuild the game from the ground up to take advantage of the Wii controller. Raving Rabbids ended up as an insane and genuinely funny string of some 70 minigames, telling the story of Rayman's epic battle against the crazed rabbit-like Rabbid invaders. The single-player game is surprisingly absorbing, and the sense of humor is top-notch. Many of the mini-games are multiplayer-enabled, giving Rayman good replay value. Virtual Console Developer: various; Publisher: various Wii's Virtual Console is a collection of downloadable classic titles from several systems manufactured by Nintendo and its former hardware competitors: NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and NEC/Hudson's TurboGrafx-16. The games range in price from $5-$10, and can be stored on the system's internal flash memory as well as on standard SD cards, though they can only be played on the system for which they were purchased. Emulation is accurate and solid, and N64 games (of which there is currently only Super Mario 64) are likely to benefit most of all, as they come out looking significantly cleaner and crisper than they did on the original hardware. The lack of any added online multiplayer is unfortunate. The system currently has over a dozen games including The Legend of Zelda (NES), Sonic the Hedgehog (GEN), Altered Beast (GEN), Wario's Woods (NES), Bonk's Adventure (TG16), F-Zero (SNES), SimCity (SNES), and more. Nintendo promises to add multiple titles on a weekly basis. More from Shack: Hands on impressions Next: Portable games. _PAGE_BREAK_ Portable games Though the veteran Game Boy Advance seems to be reaching the end of its life cycle, with many of its top franchises moving to the increasingly successful Nintendo DS, both Nintendo and Sony's currently supported portable systems have had a pretty good year. Here are recommendations for all three. Nintendo DS New Super Mario Bros.
Developer: Nintendo; Publisher: Nintendo Prior to the release of New Super Mario Bros., it had been over ten years since Nintendo had delivered a true new 2D Mario platformer. New Super Mario Bros. starts off identically to the original NES Super Mario Bros., but quickly diverges into its own unique adventure. Though it never strays too far from the formula laid out in the original Super Mario Bros., there are some nice new touches. Mario has remembered his new moves from Super Mario 64, and the world is presented in a 3D-over-2D style that allows for gorgeous pixel art backgrounds and fluidly animated foreground objects. Hardcore gamers will appreciate the challenge in finding all the game's secrets, while more casual folk will appreciate the game's general accessibility. Highly recommended for platforming fans. More from Shack: Hands on preview Elite Beat Agents Developer: iNiS; Publisher: Nintendo Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, iNiS' excellent Japan-only rhythm game for Nintendo DS, comes to North America as a brand new game entitled Elite Beat Agents, featuring a unique set of stories and music tracks. Gameplay consists of tapping various arranged on the touch screen in increasingly more difficult rhythms, as surreal and humorous stories unfold on the top screen. With a great learning curve and oddly addictive gameplay, Elite Beat Agents is one of the best music-themed games available. The soundtrack ranges from David Bowie to the Village People to the Rolling Stones to Ashlee Simpson. More from Shack: Hands on impressions Age of Empires: The Age of Kings Developer: Backbone Entertainment; Publisher: Majesco Backbone's well-crafted turn-based strategy offering Age of Empires: The Age of Kings blends many aspects of its namesake franchise with the portable-friendly but substantial gameplay of the Advance Wars series. The result is a great, campaign-oriented strategy game with features like technology research, resource management, and civilization progression, but packaged in a format that's easy to pick up and put down as needed. Set in the same historical context as the PC game on which it is based, Age of Empires allows players to control five civilizations including the Japanese and the Britons, each with its own single-player story. The game also includes a historical glossary and local wireless multiplayer. Final Fantasy III Developer: Matrix Software; Publisher: Square Enix With the DS remake of Final Fantasy III, a game that had previously never made it out of Japan, Square Enix and developer Matrix Software have created one of the most ambitious remakes of a Final Fantasy game to date. Originally released on NES, the game now features full 3D graphics, gameplay additions, and a substantial overhaul of the game's story and characters. Despite its old-school gameplay and inexplicable underuse of the system's second screen, fans of Final Fantasy and of traditional console RPGs in general will no doubt want to check this one out, as it is essentially a new classic-style Final Fantasy game for English-speaking audiences. Note: Final Fantasy III is an entirely separate game from Final Fantasy VI, originally released on the SNES in North America as Final Fantasy III. Yoshi's Island DS
Developer: Artoon; Publisher: Nintendo Developer Artoon follows up on one of the greatest platformers of all time with Yoshi's Island DS, a game that doesn't have the same freshness as its predecessor did but which still offers fun new 2D platforming at a time when the genre rarely produces worthwhile material. The DS sequel adds the ability to change playable characters with different abilities, providing the means to reach different areas. As in the SNES game, boss battles are inventive and unique, not generally an attribute of games from this genre. All in all, Yoshi's Island DS is another well produced, solid platformer to come out on the DS in 2006, and should make fans of the form happy. More from Shack: Hands on impressions Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
Developer: Nintendo; Publisher: Nintendo Brain Age, in part Nintendo's trojan horse to draw new audiences into gaming, is a collection of daily mini-games that Nintendo likes to describe as "a treadmill for the mind." Based on your performance with exercises testing basic arithmetic, word memorization, cognitive skills, and so on, the game assigns you a "brain age" representing the relative health of your mind. It's surprisingly engaging, and it comes with touch-screen-enabled Sudoku. Use it to try and snare your non-gaming friends and family members. Clubhouse Games Developer: Agenda; Publisher Once you've converted them over with Brain Age, Clubhouse Games makes a nice followup. It's a simple but complete collection of 42 popular card, board, and parlor games playable alone or with others. Extensive stylus support makes it all work. Even better, many games allow online play. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Developer: Konami; Publisher: Konami Last year's Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow was widely regarded as the best entry in Konami's long running action/platformer/RPG series since the seminal Symphony of the Night on PlayStation, and with Portrait of Ruin series producer Koji Igarashi has created a followup that improves on minor annoyances from the first game and adds even more features. This time around, you can swap between two characters on the fly, and join up with a friend online in the game's boss rush multiplayer mode. Environments are more varied than those of most games in the series, and certain backgrounds and foreground objects are now rendered in 3D while the game maintains its classic 2D gameplay. Note: While Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin will not be released until early December, Shacknews has had extensive hands on time with a near-final version of the game and feels comfortable recommending it. More from Shack: Hands on preview, hands on impressions PSP Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Developer: Rockstar Leeds; Publisher: Rockstar Games Last year, Rockstar Leeds delivered PSP's highest selling game with Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and this year the studio has another portable entry to the successful series with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, set in the cocaine-addled 80s world of Rockstar North's GTA III followup Vice City. Though Vice City Stories isn't revolutionary in the same way some of the series' prior entries have been, it remains impressive that Rockstar Leeds is able to compress a complete GTA adventure into a portable system, and some of the technical presentation has been improved from Liberty City Stories. Essentially, GTA fans looking for more open city-roaming action will find a solid title here to tide them over until next year's Grand Theft Auto IV. Tekken: Dark Resurrection Developer: Namco; Publisher: Namco Bandai Games To create a handheld version of its popular fighting series Tekken, Namco adapted the Tekken: Dark Resurrection arcade incarnation of the series, based on Tekken 5, to Sony's portable console. The result is a full-fledged fighting game that despite sharing a lot with Tekken 5 on PS2, doesn't feel like merely a console port. There new characters and other content unique to the system, with impressive presentation that pushes the PSP hardware. Dark Resurrection also includes head to head over local wireless multiplayer. The game should satisfy any fighting game fan looking to take the game on the go. Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception Developer: Namco; Publisher: Namco Bandai Games Namco delivered its second home console-quality experience on the PSP this year with Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception, an authentic entry in its decade-spanning series of jet combat games. Like the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, Skies of Deception is much more of an arcade combat sim than a hardcore flight sim, and it includes a full storyline to accompany the dogfighting action. It's also comparable visually to the PS2 entries, an impressive feat. Skies of Deception also includes local wireless multiplayer for up to four players. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror Developer: Sony Bend; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Shooters have had a rough life on the PSP, in part due to control issues, but SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo showed they could be done, and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror arguably does it better. Dark Mirror, the latest in the Syphon Series that Sony Bend has developed on PlayStation platforms since it was known as Eidetic, is a third person tactical shooter that presents a fairly typical terrorism-laced plot in a way that is uncommonly ambitious for a portable system. Despite having a fairly broad range of different moves, the controls never outstep the bounds of the PSP hardware. The game's multiplayer is also impressive, supporting eight players locally or over the internet with voice chat. Field Commander Developer: Sony Online Entertainment; Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment Tapping into what has made the Advance Wars games on GBA and DS so successful, SOE's Field Commander delivers a solid turn-based strategy title to PSP with its combination of simplicity and depth. Everything is presented in 3D, with attractive visual and sound design. Field Commander has a fairly standard lineup of units spanning land, sea, and air, but they are balanced well and the various playable military divisions have their own unique properties. The average map size is oddly small compared to other games in the genre, though in a portable game this is less of an issue. Helping to distinguish the game is its multiplayer, with a number of modes including online. LocoRoco Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Despite the system's large attractive screen and portable nature, there is an odd dearth of purely 2D games on the PSP; fortunately, Sony's own LocoRoco is here to fill that void. The game presents a unique take on the side-scrolling platformer formula, with a control scheme that has the player tilting the world left and right via the shoulder buttons to indirectly move the LocoRoco itself, a simple but expressive colorful blob. Strong, flat-colored art design and an infectious soundtrack completes the package. Game Boy Advance Final Fantasy V Advance
Developer: Square Enix; Publisher: Square Enix With Final Fantasy V Advance, Square Enix is continuing its current quest of making all NES and SNES Final Fantasy titles available on current Nintendo portables, a task that will be complete once Final Fantasy VI Advance is released next year. Final Fantasy V set the mold for the next several Final Fantasies to follow, and some fans of the series still mark it as their favorite. While the game is largely a port from the SNES, many of the graphical elements have been prettied up, new items have been added, and there are even new job classes. It's a much more complete effort than last year's spotty Final Fantasy IV Advance. Drill Dozer
Developer: Game Freak; Publisher: Nintendo How this game was overlooked so heavily is beyond me, but Drill Dozer, developer Game Freak's first non-Pokemon offering since the original Pokemon Red/Blue, is one of the most enjoyable and unique 2D side-scrollers to come along in years. The game cleverly ties its platforming and action together by tying both to an upgradeable vehicle-mounted drill device used both for taking out enemies and latching onto walls and other surfaces to reach higher areas. Levels are well designed, boss battles are fun and unique, and the difficulty curve is well implemented. It's not the longest game around, but there isn't really anything else like it. Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2
Developer: Flight Plan; Publisher: Atlus USA Oddly, Atlus published both of Flight Plan's Summon Night: Swordcraft Story RPGs on Game Boy Advance within only a few months of one another in the second half of this year. Whatever it was that led to such a release schedule, the second game is the one more worth of a purchase. For the most part, Swordcraft Story 2 is a pretty by-the-books RPG experience, but it has its unique aspects. As befitting the name, weapon crafting is a big part of the experience, and unlike in the first game, players can continually craft and re-craft the same weapons, allowing them to "level up" along with the characters themselves. GBA looks like it will be the last gaming system whose graphics are based almost entirely around the time-honored design of low-res pixel art (it's the end of a great era) but Swordcraft Story 2 keeps the tradition with great looking sprites and animation. Though it won't likely find a big audience outside of RPG fans, devotees of the genre should have a good time. Next: Multiplatform games. _PAGE_BREAK_ Multiplatform games Call of Duty 3
Developer: Treyarch; Publisher: Activision PS2, Xbox, PS3, X360, Wii There are no massive surprises in the third main entry in the acclaimed Call of Duty series, with Call of Duty 2: Big Red One developer Treyarch taking the reins this time around. Those looking for something radically different than what was found in last year's Call of Duty 2 may not be satisfied, but fans of the series looking for more intense first person warfare and cinematic presentation will find it here. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Developer: Traveller's Tales; Publisher: LucasArts PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC The original Lego Star Wars was a surprise smash hit, and the sequel moves from the recent Star Wars films covered in the original game to the ones most of us would rather play, the 70s and 80s original trilogy. The great sense of humor of the first Lego Star Wars game is back here. Co-op, an always appreciated feature, is available, though unfortunately not online. Unless you're really looking to take the game on the go, a home console or PC version is probably your best bet. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent Developer: Ubisoft Shanghai/Ubisoft Montreal; Publisher: Ubisoft PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3 (Q2 2007), X360, Wii (Nov. 28, 2006), PC Double Agent is the latest addition to Ubisoft's yearly Splinter Cell series, and while it doesn't make huge strides in terms of gameplay, it offers a continually polished new iteration of what is generally agreed to be the best stealth action franchise around these days. Oddly, the last-generation versions of the game contain different missions and modes than the Xbox 360 version, so if you have access to multiple platforms, it may be worth researching before picking the game up. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Developer: Raven Software; Publisher: Activision
PS2, Xbox, PS3, X360, Wii, PSP, GBA, PC Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is Raven Software's spiritual successor to its fun and accessible X-Men Legends series, adding in superheroes from across the Marvel pantheon for a ridiculously comprehensive comic book action/RPG experience. It's not the deepest RPG around, but the huge variety of characters and powers and user-configurable parties, along with four-player co-op, is a blast. Steer clear of the completely unrelated GBA version. More from Shack: Impressions, impressions