worth importing? - Defunct Games

Preview by Lynxara
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Release Date: March 21, 2006
Genre(s): Katamari!
Category: Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’
# of Players: 1
Are you the sort of person who was only saved by total
addiction to the PS2 Katamari Damacy games by a need to
leave the house in order to work, study, and obtain food? If so,
I’m sorry. There’s a portable Katamari game coming out for the
PSP. I could say “don’t buy a PSP!” but I
might as well tell you not to go into a store
that sells video games. Once you see it, you
know there will be no escape. You will buy,
and you will roll. You will roll everywhere
you go. Fortunately, your portable doom
is going to be a game worthy of the
Katamari name.
In this adventure, the royal family is on
vacation when the King of All Cosmos
accidentally wipes out an island chain,
leaving the local animals homeless. As
usual, it’s up to the hapless Prince to set
things right by making new islands out of katamari. As in We
♥ Katamari, he’ll have some help from his Cousins, including
some new members of the family.
The all-important music for this game is mostly comprised of
a blend of tracks from the PS2 games, along with a sprinkling
of new songs. You can customize the appearance of the Prince
and his Cousins with up to three presents and battle up to three
friends to roll
up the biggest katamari
in the competitive wireless multiplayer
mode. Get big enough and you can roll up
your opponents!
One big change will follow Katamari to the
PSP: new controls. The D-Pad and the face buttons replace
the twin analog sticks of the PS2 games. To go right, you’d hit
right on the D-Pad and the circle button, for example. You can
use the right and left shoulder buttons for fine control of your
katamari as it rolls, but it still feels very different from the
original games. Don’t think this change will let you escape the
usual Katamari effect, though. The closer we get to March, the
more you’ll feel the uncontrollable need to roll things up.
22_ME & MY KATAMARI_PREVIEW HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 1_ISSUE 9_WARM BUN
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Reflections Int.
Release Date: March 3, 2006
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 1_ISSUE 9_WARM BUN
Genre(s): Action
Category: Racing
Players: 1
Preview by Honestgamer
Driver may have been the first franchise of its kind to
explore consoles in three dimensions, but it wasn’t the
last. Grand Theft Auto’s third entry stole the spotlight,
which meant the good folk at Reflections Interactive had
to adapt in order to survive. Driv3r was the result. Though
critics balked, consumers bought. Despite respectable
sales, something needed to change. Some began to wonder
if the franchise had peaked, but they couldn’t know until
the next game released. That time draws nigh.
Driver: Parallel Lines is what you might call a return to
the series roots. Though you can still leave your car and
create mayhem on foot, the events that transpire while
you’ve got two or four wheels beneath you are again the
focus. You’ll commandeer delivery trucks, motorcycles,
SUVs and hotrods, all in the name of chaos. Not only that,
but you’ll do so in two time periods.
This unique dynamic is critical enough to the game’s
appeal that its unveiling can’t even be considered a
spoiler. Partway into the game, things change. A quarter
of a century passes, and the awesome rides you had in the
‘70s are curious oddities in a world full of sedans. There’s
one thing that’s no different, though: you still drive like
crazy.
It’s good to see this series headed back to those things
that made it noteworthy in the first place. From what
we’ve seen, Driver: Parallel Lines is definitely a wellintentioned
attempt to get things back into familiar
territory without sacrificing a bit of quality. There’s plenty
of licensed music, too, just to keep things fresh. If the
visual splendor and the action aren’t hi-jacked
again by sloppy controls and objectives,
this could be a title to watch upon
its impending release. Consider
us interested.
DRIVER: PARALLEL LINES_PREVIEW_23