Soccer / Football Fever

By: CAPTAIN GORDON EDWARD
Date: Thursday, October 12, 2006

Welcome back to the Countdown. We have quite a bit to cover over these last two weeks. The first week was a bit slow, but it picked up considerably for the second week. As of late the systems have been flooded with movie/television or sports games, and well... the week has a touch of both. In spite of the numerous different television/movie games, a few of the legit games have sneaked their ways out. Nonetheless I bow my head and continue.

Desperate Housewives - (PC) - What can I say about the Desperate Housewives games? I could say that it is just an attempt to cash in on the semi-popular television show. It is a budget title, so you should be able to pick it up quite cheaply. Overall if you are a fan of the series, there is nothing that I can say to prevent you buying this game. Likewise with those whom are not fans, there is nothing I can say to make you buy it.

Gangs of London - (PSP) - How would you like to play a handheld game about being a part of the elite criminal underworld? Well, for the PSP... here is another chance. While it is probably the coolest thing about the game is that it takes place in London, which is a great change of atmospheres. Since it is a portable game, you can expect to see a lot of action packed missions, but most likely in bite sized pieces.

El Matador (PC) - Are you tired of ripping apart the world with crime? Why not prevent the damage as a DEA agent? You can be out for blood, and with the dream of protecting a country. Not only that, you will also have the chance of going to the lower half of the world, and visit South America. It almost seems like the theme of the week is visiting other worlds.


Mercury Meltdown - (PSP) - If last time you could not get enough of controlling a blob of mercury, you may just have enough with this second helping. You will have the duty of separating it, and driving it through courses, and having it change different colours. Just as the original title was for the PSP, and I can expect this one to be just as rewarding.

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker (DS - GBA) - In response to Totally Spies, or even Agent Cody Banks, you can become one like all of these girls. Sorry about that Frankie Muniz, but with your life over on Malcolm in the Middle, you need to get attention anyway you can. You play a game unrolling the truth of Alex's uncle's death, while growing into the world of espionage. With two totally different games on the Nintendo portables, I think the experience will be quite interesting.

FIFA Soccer 07 (DS - GBA - NGC - PC - PS2 - X-Box) - Finally you have the soccer game across all of the systems. Like usual you will see some improvements over last year games. I do love the fact that there are plenty of different soccer franchise out there, which forces the companies to improve their games more so than the other sports. Since it is a bit of a slow week, and because this game touches so many systems, I am going to award it the game of the week.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (DS NGC - GBA - PSP - PS2) - Another television game, but at least I actually like the show a bit. You can play the game as Aang, Katara, Haru and Sokka, which does give you a fairly wide access base for gameplay. Other than that you do have access to the bending powers, which has helped make the show a hit. For fans, I would probably recommend picking it up.

God Hand (PS2) - With so many bad action fighting games, it is refreshing to see a good one. What makes it so entertaining and fun is that the game is completely over the top. While the game play does take itself very seriously, it is a blast to watch or play. This is a runner up for game of the week.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon (PS2 - X-Box) - For the old fighting games, this is the only one that has successfully transcended the boundaries from 2D to 3D. While the series may not have retained as many of the fatalities as the old games had, it continues to be a fun experience. Each game seems to add something dynamic to the series, and this one is also true. This one combines all of the characters of Mortal Kombat, and put them into a grand finale. At the same time this is the last time for all of these characters to take the stage. This is a brave move by the company, with many favourite characters being killed off. This will be another game to look out for.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (PS2) - As in the previous games, you can expect a sexual-esc horror RPG, with all the trimmings. Atlus has done well with bringing this game out, and if it is like any of the previous games it will be a must buy for the RPG enthusiasts.

Tales of the Abyss (PS2) - The Tales series seems to be everlasting, and again they will continue to work use the same wheel, rather than reinvent it. The battle style is slightly different from the previous ones with a free roaming battle system. The storyline will provide yet another epic experience. This will be another must for Tales fans.

Gun (PSP) - What is that? A guy from the television series Angel has their own game? Just kidding. This will be a PSP build of the ultra fun, and bloody PS2 game Gun, which takes place in the Wild West. Probably the best thing about it though is that it has new material to run through, and it expands the overall experience. While it may come off as a shameless port, the game was fun, so it will be another interesting title to pick up.

D.I.R.T. Origin Of The Species (PC) - Combining some rather diverse, but hilarious ideas, this game takes place in the Nevada desert. Since it is Nevada, of course it involves the black ops military, but more importantly a brand new virus. This virus horribly mutates a camping party, including a girl with teddy bear on her back, and shot a shotgun in her hand. If the gameplay is anywhere as cool as the concept, or the girl with the teddy bear, you can expect to have a fun adventure.

I was worried from last week that the games may just be slowing down, but luckily that was a one-week only thing. I could see most of these games being fun, and that is great to see in this month of Halloween. I am looking forward to quite a few games before the holidays, but most importantly I would love to see more horror games. What we have received for the week though should be good enough to satisfy my thirst. All and all, this is Captain Gordon signing off.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com