Originally from Diehard GameFAN

Way of the Samurai has had an interesting history in the United States, but through its low-key releases and near misses to the North American market, the series ultimately has quite the cult following. Billed as a samurai adventure, the series has been compared to established franchises such as Fable, based on its decision making, consequences and themes of morality. Enjoying moderate success, the franchise has jumped from the Playstation 2 format to the Xbox 360 thanks to an effort by UFO Interactive (as well as the Playstation 3, although this entry is published courtesy of Agetec). With the expansive offerings seen in the first two entries, it should be expected the 360 hardware would considerably bump up the replayability and scope of the game. Unfortunately, the answer to this expectation is a mix of yes and no and while Way of the Samurai 3 does a number of mechanics to satisfaction, a number of others fall pretty flat.

Just like the other entries of the series, the title puts players in the role of a wandering samurai in which your past has no bearing in the game, but your character’s future is entirely dependent on the actions and choices made through the course of gameplay. In Way of the Samurai 3, specifically, the player appears to be mixed into warfare from the feudal era, when an attack deals a crippling injury to their player. Miraculously surviving and waking up among a battlefield littered with fallen soldiers, the player begins their quest from here and immediately the factors of choice and story development unfold as villagers scoping the battlefield will show concern for you – you can be nice to receive their help or tell them to piss off either verbally or by unsheathing your sword and scaring them away.

While every story path will revolve around the warring states in the vicinity of Amana and various clans vying for control of the territory and the villages affected by this warfare, it is up to the player to decide how events unfold from the beginning up until the impending invasion of the forces of Nobunaga Oda. Ultimately, the story is decided on by the player, which greatly increases the title’s appeal and, in this manner, players are free to do as they please, whether those actions are good, neutral or evil, in order to uncover the game’s more than 20 different endings. While the scripting is hardly mind-blowing, the story is very serviceable and holds true to its source setting and there are some fairly entertaining bits of dialog to be found, even though it is usually sluggishly told through word bubbles that pop on the screen (and when multiple people are talking, this can be quite annoying). As archaic as the delivery might be in regard to today’s standards, adventure aficionados that have seen their fair share of classic titles might fit right at home with the simple text dialog and menu-based delivery. Most of the game is hosted in the traditional single-player story, which, given the amount of options available to the player isn’t necessarily a bad point, but the title doesn’t feature depth in its modes and even some simple online functionality that allowed players to take their custom character online to duel other players would have taken the title a bit further in its offerings.

Before we dive into the gameplay, I will have to point out that technology junkies will surely be put off by the title’s presentation. Way of the Samurai 3 seems as if it was developed originally for the Playstation 2 or on a lower budget because it definitely shows in the game’s visuals and audio. Everything here is certainly passable, but nothing uses the true processing of the Xbox 360 as you’ll see undetailed character models that lack much animation during conversations, pop-up runs wild in certain parts of the title and players will be sure to notice the lack of detail and jagged model edges in the cutscenes. What is provided for the game’s audio measures up just a little better, but with very little voice acting in the title (with the English voices being a bit shaky in quality for the most part), players will mostly be treated to ambient sounds that get the job done. In perhaps the game’s real shining moment in presentation, during certain situations, players will be treated to music that is fitting for the time period. Overall, I wouldn’t say Way of the Samurai 3 has bad presentation, it just needed a lot more polish than what it received and doesn’t hold a candle to most of the game’s seen on the format.

Thankfully, the meat of the game is ripe with satisfying gameplay that the player can tackle in short bursts or long periods of time. Playing by the rules, players will end up doing a fair share of quests, exploration and decision making instead of haphazardly instigating fights, but given the fact these aspects shape the game as a whole, they become immediately engrossing as slight differences in the player’s actions can create the infamous butterfly effect. If you’re truly thirsting for blood, however, who you attack and off in the game does serve as a significant factor in how the world turns out in the end even though it hinders your overall progress in the game by reducing your samurai points that unlock various features in the game. In Way of the Samurai 3, if the player executes a unique character, they never come back for that specific playthrough, however, more honorable samurai will utilize the game’s new feature to attack with the blunt side of the weapon in order to merely knockout that character and immobilize them for a while. Another new mechanic remedies the problems encountered in many other titles in the genre, by allowing the player to bow down and apologize if they accidentally threaten someone (it also does a few other quirky acts such interact with cats or allow the player to beg for money). Along with dialog choices and the ability to unsheathe your sword during any event, a number of mechanics are in place to keep the premise of the game interesting and the branching series of events keep different elements of the game intriguing to return to.

Even if the story isn’t your thing, this installment of Way of the Samurai eliminates the time limitations placed on the player, allowing them to spend whatever time they wish to in the game world before engaging in the final few events of the game. Much like previous entries of the game, this allows players to collect a huge assortment of weapons that can be stored for later use and the weapon crafting system alone has the potential to keep players engrossed in the management the game has to offer. Not only can players pick fights, but they can also foster relationships with key characters and even convince them to be companions that can aid in battle, provide support or even steal from you if you don’t keep an eye on them. Also, through battle, players can raise their abilities with a given weapon, learning new moves with it, but care will also have be given to each weapon as if a weapon loses its durability, it can break and be lost for good. With such examples to supplement the title’s gameplay, it becomes somewhat of a simulation, supplementing the adventure and action aspects of the title for those that like to tinker with collectibles and inventory.

Battling remains very similar to the way it was executed in Way of the Samurai 2, where parries are performed with timing a block with an enemy’s attack as opposed to the original entry, which used directional controls to manipulate the enemy’s momentum. This becomes quite important in allowing players to execute one-hit kills with counters and play passively to adapt to the enemies’ actions. The parrying becomes crucial since being reckless with your weapons will quickly lead to their durability fading away. While mowing down grunt enemies can become a bit repetitive, as the player progresses, there will be more suitable enemies to test the player’s skill and with multiple difficulty settings, players should be able to find a suitably satisfying fight. At face value, the player has a “weak” and “strong” attack, but when you factor in the numerous weapon types and techniques that players eventually uncover, players can mix in a number of offensive strings to compliment the defensive techniques. To further add to the exploration, players can use some wacky weapons such as garden utensils or wield vegetables and scrappy fighters can opt to go to battle with their fists.

That being said, though, everything in Way of the Samurai 3 is a pretty straightforward game and while there is a ton of interesting aspects to do and see, the execution will most likely fall a bit short from most current-generation gamers’ expectations. The game’s targeting and camera work can be a bit suspect at times and while the fighting is overall satisfying, players will most likely expect a bit more scope from the title, which only has a rough handful of environments to check out. Way of the Samurai 3 is one of those titles that is short at face value, taking only an hour or two to reach an ending, but encourages multiple playthroughs and, as such, it may potentially only hold a player’s attention for a couple of times before they move on to something else. The customization of the character is fairly bare-bones and while a number of features such as dual-wielding weapons and more can be unlocked, players will find themselves going through the same processes multiple times to reach this goal and the game’s samurai points are actually pretty easy to exploit for quick advancement that creates a bit of an unbalanced player progression. Thankfully, the multiple difficulties and satisfying fights level out the game’s balance and the quantity of content makes the title worth its price tag.

However, the questionable aspect at hand for a gamer deciding whether or not to pick up Way of the Samurai 3 is in the quality of its content. Acquire has created a unique approach to the “sandbox” style of gameplay many current gamers are familiar with, but with its behind-the-times presentation and calculating gameplay, Grand Theft Auto this is not, which is made most obvious through the game’s slower pacing. One of the first quests has you fetching an old lady’s underwear, which can be stolen from your inventory by crows, definitely setting up a questionable entry into the game, but as players progress or become more unruly, they’ll begin to find more options and action in quests such as punishing thieves. Regardless, Way of the Samurai 3 can still manage to be a satisfying time sink if players can overlook its downsides. Unlike a game such as Grand Theft Auto IV that revolves around giving a story to the player, Way of the Samurai 3 does the reverse and allows the player to dictate the story, allowing the player to make the character his or her own and this even carries over into the possibility of death, which effectively ends the story for that playthrough. This may upset some gamers, but with the ability to keep all money and items earned through the player’s career, the game features enough appeal and content to keep players diving right back in.

Right now, Acquire and Spike have the content feature nailed down with its Japanese releases and if future titles can build upon this with more quality and polish, Way of the Samurai will be a series to recommend without hesitation. There is plenty of appeal and replayability in the series as a whole and this definitely isn’t lost in the series. However, it’s hard to ignore that the title does not take advantage of the hardware, which is perhaps the biggest downside of the game. Sure there are other quirks in the game’s progression and combat, but they can be easily overlooked to find a satisfying title that players can come back to time and time again.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 3 of 5

Much like its predecessors, while Way of the Samurai 3 fails to really flex the system’s hardware muscle, it doesn’t stray from providing the replayability and unique, interesting gameplay the series is known for. The newest installment adds enough new features to freshen up the series while remaining true to its roots, but the fact it does not take advantage of the hardware is one of the title’s crippling downsides. You’ll also have a number of graphical and camera issues along with some questionable quality among the game’s huge scope of content, but at the end of the day, Way of the Samurai 3 is a title you can come back to numerous times and it will most likely have something new to show you.

It’s honestly a bit of surprise it has taken this long, but Bub and Bob have finally splashed down on the Xbox LIVE Arcade service. We saw this one week with the warm reception we gave to Bubble Bobble Neo, but now the other well-known half of the franchise has touched down with Puzzle Bobble now being made available on the Xbox 360. This new entry, entitled Bust-A-Move LIVE!, delivers the classic gameplay to the Xbox 360 and definitely accomplishes what it sets out to do – the action here is as pure as it gets, but if you own a dozen of the series’ other titles and are looking for some new feature that will shake the series up, you might be able to pass up on this popping puzzler.

Bust-A-Move LIVE! offers up everything players typically expect from a puzzle game this generation: You can tackle a puzzle-based story mode (with 135 puzzles and future DLC additions), face off against a gauntlet of CPU opponents, play until you fail in endless mode, enjoy local two-player versus matches or take the game online to face another Xbox LIVE user. Sure, there’s nothing new or earth-shattering here, but the expansive amount of modes gives the player some value in their $10 purchase, especially if they truly enjoy the Bust-A-Move franchise. No matter what mode you choose, however, everything remains the same: Players fire colored (or various specialty) bubbles up into a playfield and by matching three or more bubbles of the same color, players can remove those pieces from the field. Sure, it’s never really explained to the player why they are doing this, but what more do you really want from a fun and easily accessible puzzler?

The major downside to the title is if players have experienced most of the franchise, most particularly the later installments, there will be no surprises to uncover in this title, it will just serviceably provide more of the same. However, at a lower price point and through its digital convenience, Bust-A-Move LIVE! should to be tough to pass up for any puzzle game fan. Even though no liberties are taken to freshen up the franchise, what is provided here plays just like the classics and is executed really well. The tricky bounce shots are still nerve-racking, the controls are still simple and very responsive, the title is still quite a time sink and players that only experienced the very early installments of the series may find some new life in a few of the mechanics such as the specialty bubbles. With the line of achievements, multiplayer and span of game modes, the title will likely have most players coming back time and again, just like most other entries in the series.

With most of the title being pound-for-pound identical to other entries in the franchise, I’ll put more focus into highlighting what has changed for this installment. The most obvious upgrade the title has received is in its high-definition graphical facelift, which, admittedly, is very noticeable even in a simplistic game such as Bust-A-Move. The iconic 24-bit sprites from the series’ origin have come a long way with vivid, colorful art, which even gives the bubbles more flair. The hardware jump also allows for more lighting effects which create some satisfying bursts as players match up their bubble pieces. While the graphics certainly won’t rival any of the powerhouse games on the system aiming for a realistic look, this is definitely the best I’ve seen the series look and it really gives the title’s art some character. Most of the sound does go unchanged, however, but that’s not a bad thing considering the franchise has some very memorable jingles and sound effects. The music and sound in the title fit right in with the series’ themes and round out an already impressive presentation.

A few other additions haven’t been implemented without a few issues, however. The Xbox 360 version of this title works in the hardware’s avatars as in-game cheerleaders, which, normally, would be perfectly fine, if not appropriate. However, these avatars in versus mode are placed at the bottom-right-hand corner of your playfield, and when the game gets down to the wire, this character model can actually obstruct your view of one to three pieces on the playfield. Also, while versus play is made available over Xbox LIVE, I witnessed some strange occurrences where the game fails to communicate the real-time gameplay, showing the opponent losing the round. However, the gameplay continued because the opponent had not actually lost, so both players had to just stay alive as the lack of communication also stopped the flow of attack bubbles from reaching the opponent’s playfield. Granted, this didn’t happen with every gameplay, but it happened enough for me that it became a crippling issue.

Also, while puzzle games are inherently tough against calculating CPU opponents, Bust-A-Move LIVE! doesn’t hold back at all, creating virtually no balance. The CPU opponents become brutal fast as they nail the most appropriate shot with superhuman accuracy at all times. I was sweating as soon as the second opponent, which really throws off the balance of the title. However, given how easy it is to get into the other modes of play, there is something everyone can enjoy, perhaps making the CPU versus mode the final step on the performance plateau. Even so, playing the title with another human being is where the franchise has always shined, so if you’ve got some company, chances are you’ll never even touch any of the other modes, let alone the versus CPU mode.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 3 of 5

Much like any other Puzzle Bobble entry, simplicity serves as the hook to reel in puzzle gamers and those that enjoy casual games. While Bust-A-Move LIVE! is another offering of what is essentially the same game I’ve played at the local bowling alley in the ‘90s, its gameplay and fun factor has kept it relevant and fun even to this day. The lack of additions to the formula and a few technical and balancing hiccups might turn some gamers away, but there have definitely been worse entries into the Puzzle Bobble series. As always, the multiplayer will take you a long way if you wish to spend $10 on another entry in the series, but there is still a handful of other modes and more than 100 levels to experience for your purchase. Bust-A-Move LIVE! doesn’t do anything to revolutionize the game, but even with a mix of pros and cons, the title still proves to be enjoyable.

The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for July 12, 2008

Nes:  Welcome one and all once again to the podcast you have to read, The Nestlekwik Happy Hour.  Of course, I am your host nestlekwik, welcoming you back from what I hope was an enjoyable holiday for all of our US readers.  Hopefully you didn’t blow off any thumbs with those fireworks as that would make playing video games quite a chore.  If you were expecting some sort of holiday theme based on fireworks games such as Fantavision or Boom Boom Rocket, we apologize as the GemuBaka crew was catching some much needed rest (and hamburgers) for the holiday weekend.  Of course, by “we,” I mean myself and your Happy Hour co-host, MixMasterLar.


Lar:  I can see you had your share of hamburgers over the past week Nes.  It might be time for you to fire up Wii Fit and hit some of those jackknives.

Nes:  We’ll just wait for Dance Dance Revolution X to hit and it will give me a reason to get moving again.

Lar:  Understood.  Well, even though we were conspicuously absent last weekend, we want to point out that The Nestlekwik Happy Hour now has a new segment – the stickied thread entitled “Swag Museum.”  The feature kicked off with 10 pieces of gaming history (or junk depending on your view) and today we have updated with an additional two entries.

Nes:  I hope that hot sauce ages well.  It could get really gross in a couple more years.

Lar:  Well, you should probably talk that over with your girlfriend.  I’m just glad I won’t be there to smell it when it turns green.

Nes:  … But it was green to begin with.

Lar:  Oh, I see.  Well, moving on, speaking of things aging, let’s dive a little into the past and see how our latest review prospect has aged.

Review: Virtua Fighter 2

Lar:  Sega broke all kinds of records with the release of the first Virtua Fighter. When Namco jumped in on the action, Sega and AM2 decided to release a sequel to the first 3-D fighter ever made. The game is considered to be one of the best 3-D fighters of the ‘90s and many believe that it did to its genre what Street Fighter II did with 2-D fighting games.

The graphics of the arcade and Windows port were pretty good for the time and made Namco's efforts look pitiful. Sadly, the game's looks haven’t aged well over 12 years - characters look like Legos and move a bit sluggish compared to newer games (but it was the first 3-D game to run 60 frames per second with no slowdown whatsoever).  Backgrounds are drawn well for the time and the characters all look and fight unique from one another (something that wasn’t - and still isn’t - a real standard).

The game is not known for music and that only means the music reeks ‘90s game style. The speakers are filled with a mix of rock guitar and ‘90s tech, with very little composition. I didn’t care for the soundtrack and not many people seem to either.

Gameplay is pretty standard VF fare: There are punch, kick and guard buttons that perform what you would expect, with a few extra moves when more than one button is pressed together. The game is the only one in the VF line up that has re-sizable rings and health bars, which is good since the default heath bar doesn’t hold up to much damage (even for the time). This really hurts replayablity since matches are so short. Speaking of replay, you pretty much have no real reason to play this game unless you have memories attached to it. The arcade mode is as predictable as it gets and if you’re playing on a port with the Team Battle, Time Attack and two-player modes, then you'll realize there just isn’t any diversity in the game. It also doesn’t help that the later Virtual Fighters have upped the ante on everything four-plus times already. Unlike Street Fighter where playing the old version of Street Fighter II still holds some merit, you're more likely to feel like you did surfing on Windows 95 at your library after you had gotten use to the new release of Window's XP at home: You'll feel like your using a old, watered-down outdated game instead of getting your dose of classic gaming. That said, you can probably still enjoy it if your hardcore about fighters, so it isn’t all bad news.

Overall, if you're looking for a classic fighter then stick with either Street Fighter or the better-aged Tekken 2/3 releases. This game has outlived its time.


Nes:  People can say all they want about how the game has aged, but there is a reason why there is a Virtua Fighter 2 arcade machine in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in the field of Arts and Entertainment. 

With the game hitting the Sega Saturn with nearly every single facet intact, Virtua Fighter 2 wiped clean the flickery skidmark that was Virtua Fighter (although it was patched through VF Remix) and was one of the many home games at the time to show perfect ports of arcade games were finally here.  Virtua Fighter's raw appeal has always been its 3-D implementation and vast selection of martial arts moves made possible by the simplest number of buttons and at the time, Sega felt the title was such a high point that it received a number of updates and spin-offs - and rightfully so as very few 3-D fighters on the Saturn hold up to VF2.

Ideally, most complaints about the game today will stem from the "1995" feel of the port - the polygonal counts aren't comparable to today's games, the jumping is floaty, the music has a slightly cheesy '90s electronic vibe, there are "only 10 fighters" - however, the port was quite a success for its time.  While the PC version has had the bonus of updated graphics over the Saturn, the console version still holds up incredibly well.  Nay sayers of the Saturn's 3-D prowess should look at the title's relatively high polygon count for its time on consoles, rotating backgrounds and rotating camera views during replays.  The sound may be the title's weakest point as while the music plays very well and fits each stage's theme, the sound has muffled quality and lacks the punch of effects from other popular fighters.

Thankfully, VF2 doesn't fail where it matters - in its game play.  The move list for each character was quite jaw dropping for its time and on the Saturn, the control is just as responsive as ever thanks to the system's stellar controller.  To make the control even more convenient, button combinations can be mapped to a single button to make pulling off throws or other moves flawlessly easy.  I would definitely agree by default the matches end too early, but this obviously either comes from trying to emulate real fighting (where in reality people don't take multiple heavy blows and keep fighting) or rushing the fights to keep the quarters pumping in arcades.  However, this can be suitably changed in the options to increase players' health and expand the ring size for a real last-man-standing affair.

There are no unlockables in the game, so replayability does fall quite a bit.  That's not to say there isn't any longetivity in the title, especially for fighter buffs, as there are a ton of moves to master, a number of difficulty modes, a handful of Easter eggs to dig up and, of course, you have multiplayer.

Overall:  Between the PC and Saturn versions, I think we both agree the foundation of Virtua Fighter 2 is a solid one that shouldn't be overlooked by fighting fans.  While the title pales in technicality when compared to Virtua Fighter 4 or 5, the engine still feels familiar and is as fun as ever.  While it lacks replayability depth, it is a quick game you'll find yourself coming back to time and time again as long as the aged feel of the title won’t get under your skin.  Seeing as both formats of the game shouldn't cost you more than $5, Virtua Fighter 2 is a no-brainer for anyone looking to start a Saturn collection and PC buffs will enjoy the extra attention to graphics (this version is also available through the GameTap subscription service and the Playstation 2 Sega Ages series).

Nes:  I loves me some Saturn.  It was good to fire it up again.  I had to switch out my hard drive though after not plugging it in for a good amount of time.

Lar:  The Saturn has a hard drive?

Nes:  Oh, yeah.  The ever-popular CR2032 battery … unlocking your Fighters MegaMix characters every time you play it gets old after a while, you know.

Lar:  Definitely.  Some things will never get old, though, including the music featured in this week’s top five feature …

The Happy Hour Top 5:  Underappreciated Game Themes

#5  Zoom Down


Music Artist Toshikazu Tanaka should be proud of the overlapping guitars and the use of synth he used in this Metal Slug 5 theme and he should really get some credit for it beyond "Oh. This was in a Metal Slug Game."  While the vocals make no sense in the tense game, it's still a very fast-paced song that goes well with the game's famous run and gun gameplay. If I had to pick a song to request as RockBand's next DLC, it would easily be this one.

That said, no one seems to ever remember what this song is or where it came from and it's never gotten respect as a game theme. In our opinions this song is one of the better MS themes.

#4  Pandora No Hako Yori-Dai Ichi Ban-Souguu


Loosely translated as "He who came first from Pandora's Box" this is the first boss battle theme that plays while fighting against Jin Choushu in SNK's Fatal Fury 3. The theme refects the situation the player encounters at the end; a mysterious 2,200 year-old kid looking for the secret scrolls that will make him immortal (as if living 2,200 years wasn’t good enough) has appeared out of nowhere to claim them.

As for the theme itself, GemuBaka has opted to select the rearranged version found on the Fatal Fury Collection Vol 1, though we still enjoy the original 24-bit version. This arrangement has a very classical feel to it with string instruments, cymbals, violins, drums and many others making their way into an epic rhythm that can be both relaxing to hum to and still be upbeat enough to suit a fighter like Fatal Fury. The song is hugely underrated and in (at least) Lar's opinion can rival a few of Nobuo Uematsu's famed compositions.

#3 Lil Bonus Room


It could be said the entire game of SkullMonkeys, released for the Playstation by The Neverhood, is underappreciated.  Sparing no expense in the presentation department, SkullMonkeys has some of the most bizzare claymation graphics in video game form, but even more bizzare is its completely insane soundtrack.

With such cult hits as Elevated Structure of Terror, Klogg is Dead, Beans and more under its belt, if you could say any one song in the game has the most notority (even though Death Garden Jive is completely awesome), it's definitely the one which drives players to acheive those bonus rooms every time.  With nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a set of vocal pipes, your "little invisible friend" is here to assure you players are completely safe in the most calming voice ever.

You might be safe in the bonus room, but when the singer goes on about always being with you and being just like your parents, you might eventually be afraid to leave your house.  Also, what kind of friend tries to scare you into thinking there is a monster directly behind you?  Regardless, the tune makes you feel like you are actually taking a break from the meat of the game and the sheer obscurity of the title ranks this one high.

#2 God Hand End Theme


If Clover left us with anything, it is damn well one of the greatest ending themes ever etched in the annals of video game history.  While the cheese factor is certainly high here, it's cheese cranked all the way to 11 as the kids would say, resulting in a hilarious theme you just can't take seriously but, still, the God Hand ending theme will still manage to kick your nuts and dragon kick your ass into the Milky Way.

While 80 percent of the song will probably fail to make any sense to those who have never played the title, the video is filled with enough inane para para dancing and Sentai knockoffs to make any J-fan go into epileptic joy.  God Hand is a mockery of conventional video game themes and this certainly carries over into the ending theme which bodly proclaims that the God Power will keep your pimp hand strong.  Themes aside, the song is severly infectious, already serving as a basis for many AMV videos flowing around YouTube and the most insane of fans recreating the dances performed in the ending.

While God Hand may have come and gone with little fanfare, it is most certain its ending theme will live on in the memory of its fans.  If only more companies could make more ending themes this compelling, the world would be a better place.

#1 Silent Hill no Uta


Half the reason the number one song might be so underappreciated is the fact you have to bend over backwards to hear it as part of Silent Hill 3's super-secret ending.  Thankfully, through the bag of magic that is YouTube, any regular Joe can fill their nostrils with the catchy aroma that is Silent Hill no Uta.

For the Japanese deficient, the title translates to a simple "Song of Silent Hill" and as such, it goes through with a description of the games' main characters and provides loads of fan service to those who pay attention to every detail that is Silent Hill.  Perhaps the raw appeal of the song lies within the oxymoronic situation which it overlaps - with a completely destroyed Silent Hill laying in the backdrop, everyone gathers with joy to sing an upbeat ditty about the game that was just played.  The scenery maintains a creepy feel reminescent of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's hallowing Game Over screen, but that hardly stops the kiddies from gathering around.

With the leading charge of "one, two, five, seven!" it becomes clear Silent Hill no Uta isn't going to be an ordinary song and the futuristic sound effects and robotic delivery of the lyrics are quite laugh inducing. But, again, that is the point, as it seems the people are purposely trying to sing as poorly as possible.  Singing talent aside, who can't resist lyrics that falsely place the characters of the game as fish salesmen or single parents?  I guess those fallacies are what prompts the song's bizzare and slightly distrubring (depending on your views) ending.  Much like a nasty car wreck, Silent Hill no Uta is so odd, but you just can't look away and its obscurity places it at the top of our list of underappreciated songs.

Nes:  Man, I’m going to have God Hand stuck in my head for weeks now.

Lar:  It is indeed that catchy.

Nes:  Well, it just freaks out my mom when I just randomly spout “Dragon Kick your ass into the Milky Way” out of the blue.

Lar:  That’s not normal.

Nes:  Should I get that checked?

Lar:  Possibly, but people will definitely want to check out more about these future titles hitting consoles next week.

The Nestlekwik Happy Hour Picks of the Week for July 14, 2008

*As a friendly reminder, these picks are based on hype and preview media and merely suggest what titles we are looking forward to most.  We have not actually played builds of these titles unless indicated and do not guarantee their quality.

Nes:  It’s a no-brainer what will sell the most next week as NCAA Football 09 hits every system under the sun next week.  Sports fans will have plenty to do next week, but for those who can’t stomach the good-old 10-yard fight, here are three suggestions that we’re looking forward to next week.

Pick of the Week Runner-Up #1 - B-Boy – Playstation 2

Just when your mom thought the world was safe from the Hip-Hop/”gansta”/street video gaming craze, Sony and FreestyleGames has decided to bring the UK's rhythm-action game B-Boy to the US this week.

The game is played almost like a fighter, but with break dancing moves instead of hadoukens, akin to games such as Bust-A-Groove. You learn moves that require a command on the controller's four face buttons and the shoulder buttons in a fashion similar to a minigame from Zelda or Rocky Legends - the exception being that you decide when to time the move you pull off (with the goal being to do it in time to Hip-Hop and Rap beats).  The graphics are looking pretty standard for today’s PS2 games, but it seems that the PS2 has reached its limit now and all we can ask for is standard suit.

While the game received a 7-score average in its UK release, we're guessing that it will be fairly popular over here in the states in light of EA Big's success and Rock Band's popularity.

Pick of the Week Runner-Up #2 - We Love Golf – Nintendo Wii

The Wii is getting another golf game in the form of We Love Golf!  Camelot Software Planning, the team that has made many of the Mario sports games has teamed up with Capcom for another Wiimote swinging outing.

Interestingly, the Wiimote seems to just replace button presses when it comes to gameplay: You time maneuvers with the Wiimote to a pretty familiar-looking power bar on the bottom of the screen. Once you've locked in power and speed, you swing the controller to match the onscreen indicator to send the ball flying.  We're not sure how this method will work seeing as it's mostly cutting hairs on the last generation games and the Wii, but it looks solid so far. The game also boasts unlockable characters, courses and classic Capcom character outfits to have your selected golfer wear (Chun-Li, Jill Valintine, Phoenix Wright were named and Lar spotted a Dino theme course which may mean Regina from Dino Crisis).  So far it looks like these really are just costumes as the character's face and skin tone remain unchanged when wearing a red gi, but it's nice to have them.

The Pick of the Week for the week of July 14, 2008 - Puchi Puchi Virus - Nintendo DS


While this game will have you battling a virus that causes people to turn into party animals, Puchi Puchi Virus shouldn't prove to be a buzz kill, especially for puzzle fans, when the title hits shelves next week.

Players will control a doctor who takes a look at a list of people who are down with the sickness.  As they say, each person is unique and in Puchi Puchi Virus, each patient will have their own unique goal players will have to tackle to cure the ill.  To perform the feat, players will use the stylus to pick out similar blocks on a hex grid to eliminate them in triangle-based patterns and owners the cart can do so in single-player or multiplayer (single and multi card) modes.

With a unique mechanic and plenty of charm to its pre-release screenshots and videos, Puchi Puchi Virus looks good enough for puzzle fans to call in with a sickness of their own to stay home and play the title.

Nes:  While we have music on the brain, it’s no surprise to point out that gamers have done some crazy things with the in-game music they love.  From the pure – www.ocremix.org - to the crazy, video game music has carried over to a number of media and many have reproduced the tunes in a style of their own.  Let’s take a look at some examples where players use video games as a means to further glorify the music.

Fly through the air on Mario Paint


Street Fighter Music is so legendary that it's been done one hundred different times - per theme.  While the techno remixes, vocal arrangements and countless rock version are fun, I think seeing Mario hop to an 8-bit version is pretty cool (even Mario pays tribute where it's due). My one gripe is the cat sound effects, but it does show that the artist put some time into making the theme in Mario Paint not as redundant as it might have been otherwise.

Blaze Heatnix's Theme


Ever wonder what some themes would look like when allowed to be in another rhythm game? This is fairly popular song from Mega ManX6 being played in a Beatmania IIDX emulation (on auto, of course).  It's a wonder that people can even dream of hitting keys that fast.

God Hand


You didn’t think we were done with this theme did you?  Someone evidentially loved this theme as much as we do and took the time to create a custom Guitar Hero II file for it.  While most of the level questionably fails to follow the … um, you know … guitar, it certainly earns brownie points for the fact it is God Hand.

Super Mario Bros. Medley


Sometimes these crossovers occur officially as well.  This is a Super Mario Bros. Medley as seen in the Japanese arcade release of Konami's Pop'N Music 14 FEVER.  The song gets pretty tough toward the end!

Super Music World


If Youtube has proven anything, it's that with enough dedicated time and effort you can be recognized as someone who has nothing better to do than crazy ROM hacks that no one has even thought of yet.

And nothing is a better textbook example of that than this game music video of a custom world's objects being timed to Niko Niko, a medley of Touhou, anime and other familar game themes. The amazing part is that the player isn’t really playing for the most part of the video at all but is being pushed along for the ride. The topping on the cake is the unique use of the boxes, turtles, and ropes used: Even if the song repeats itself, the game stays fresh with different sound effects to play all through 11 minutes worth. Oh; and the song is nice, too.

Nes:  As always, we hope you enjoyed today’s show.  We know you’ve been experiencing withdrawal from us, so you should be glad to know we are back on schedule and our next show will be hitting J2Games.com on Saturday, July 19.

It seems a decade of King of Fighters wasn't enough for the flagship SNK series as the franchise now enters its 2006 installment. The last time KOF entered the PS2 arena, the series evolved into the third-dimension, with the lackluster Maximum Impact. And while 2006 improves upon the previous iteration, it still limps away from the fight.

The most notable improvement in King of Fighters 2006 is the bump in the number of features - the roster nearly doubles, new fighting mechanics are introduced and new single-player modes are added.

The entire cast of Maximum Impact makes an encore performance and are joined by four new characters, and 14 unlockables, which are playable in story, versus, mission, survival and, of course, versus play modes.

In the midst of game play, SNK Playmore has implemented two new fighting mechanics that cover both the offensive and defensive sides of the coin.

Super cancels allow for your character to interrupt the final animations of a special move and combo straight into a super maneuver and allow for extended and even more damaging combos. The second addition comes in the form of parries and allows players to turn the tides on overly aggressive players.

While the additions give the game play a little more depth, overall, the game still feels much like the previous edition and falls into the trap of throwing a 2-D game into a 3-D engine. Jump attacks and sidestepping still feel a tad clunky and I just feel like I'm playing Street Fighter EX all over again.

It's not to say King of Fighters 2006 is a bad game, but on the PS2, it hardly matches up against the competition (or even the recent Japanese SNK Playmore released Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum).

Graphically KOF 2006 gets the job done in the hand-drawn 2-D to rendered 3-D transition. The character models, while not as detailed to the degree of a game like Tekken 5, are nicely done and bring the fighters every recognizable characteristic straight from their 2-D romps. Overall, the game animates nicely and runs at a constantly smooth rate with flashes of pizzazz emulating from special and super maneuvers.

Almost all of the environments are fairly generic but do feature some nice subtle touches in the damage to the ground and arena walls. However, the environmental damage strangely doesn't carry over to all the stages. If you can smash the cement with a bone-breaking throw, why wouldn't you be able to do so in a different stage with a concrete surface or even the marble in the mansion?

Perhaps the titles biggest drawback is in the sound department. First, I would like to write a 10-page thank you letter to SNK Playmore for including the original Japanese vocals, but I'll save that for a different time. The selection will spare players from perhaps some of the worst English voice acting that could possibly be conceived.

Aside from the dangers of the game's English (the menus aren't even free of typos), everything else is standard fare. The music lacks the drive to fuel fiery fights and is easily forgettable, plus the sound effects could have been easily ported straight over from any previous King of Fighters game.

Fortunately, the game's strong suit is in its game play, which tries to keep a balance of satisfying longtime fans of the series while keeping a pick-up-and-play feel for those new to the series. All of the characters feature a surprisingly beefy set of signature, special, throw/hold, super and combo moves aside from their standard punches and kicks. Not only have the characters carried over every single one of their special moves from previous games, but 2006 also gives them new moves into the mix.

The 3-D element also includes the ever-popular "dial-a-combo" maneuvers. By stringing together mapped out combinations of punches and kicks, characters will execute a barrage of attacks in succession. The pre-determined combos end in a brutal punch or kick that sends the opponent flying, but players can throw in a special or super move in at any time before the finish of the combo and dish out even more punishment.

Players will need quick fingers to execute high-hitting combos, as the game play in 2006 is fast and furious. True to the series, matches are brief and brutal running at a speed almost comparable to the classic Street Fighter II Turbo fights. Everything definitely has a classic feel and runs as one of the fastest fighting games on the Playstation 2.

Even though there is no online fighting option once again, the mission modes will give those looking for a fight a run for their money. Not only does the mode extend the single-player experience, but it also uncovers a number of unlockables including clothing options and stages apart from the slew of hidden characters.

The hidden characters range from additional King of Fighters characters to those tossed in for some fan service to those who follow SNK - Hanzo from Samurai Showdown, B. Jenet from Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Fio from Metal Slug and more. While, unfortunately, the secret characters do not feature their own segments and endings for the game's story modes, they give players a lot of incentive to dig around in the game.

Obviously the most glaring omission from the game is the three-on-three team-based combat the series was founded on. Even featuring two-on-two battles would be a step in the right direction for the 3-D installments.

The game still feels a tad unbalanced in areas with some questionable super moves executed by the characters. While the level three super moves should be extremely damaging compared to the lower level moves, the damage scaling limits how effective the characters' ultimate super moves should be.

If a level one super does about one forth the damage and a level three super does roughly one half damage, isn't it more effective use three level one supers?

Some characters have horribly unbalanced level three supers, most notably Nagase's were she just turns invisible, and some supers such as Mignon Beart's projectile-based attack take forever to execute and just require a simple sidestep to avoid. While most of the long-time characters balance pretty well, the 3-D additions most notably fall victim to balancing.

There seemed to be a few other game play nuisances that went overlooked such as the inability to move your character into a position of your choice prior to the start of round one. However, before rounds two or three (or higher if you change the options), characters can freely move around before the round commences. The game, much like Mortal Kombat, also has some rough crossovers during jumping attacks.

Overall, however, the game play is solid and still maintains as much of the classic feel of the series SNK could capture in the extra dimension of game play. King of Fighters 2006 offers players a large number of characters old and new as well as numerous one-player modes to keep the game going just a little bit longer.

While it doesn't compare to the Playstation 2's other top-selling 3-D brawlers, King of Fighters 2006 marks the series' most impressive entry onto the system and adds enough to the mix to provide an even stronger basis to work from in future editions.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 3 of 5

Every once in a while Rockstar will take a break from its proven franchises to take a unique genre in a new, ambitious direction. This is perhaps when I enjoy the company the most as evidenced by the stellar outing the company enjoyed with Rockstar Presents Table Tennis on the Xbox 360 – the releases seem to come out of nowhere, but in typical Rockstar fashion, a lot of thought is put into the release and it stands out among the crowd. The most recent example of this comes courtesy of Rockstar Leeds and Beaterator, which, in collaboration with Timbaland, has released to the Sony PSP.

Right up front here, I’ll want to stress that Beaterator isn’t a game, at least in the traditional sense, but rather, it is an application that serves as a tool to allow its users a streamlined mean in creating music on the PSP. This might turn off people expecting to find a new DJ Max-style game or such on the system, but don’t walk away just yet as anyone interesting in piecing together their own music can still pull fun out of the title even if Beaterator is more of a tool. A gamer’s mileage will definitely vary with this one, but that is entirely dependent on how much patience one has and how much they are willing to put into this title.

Beaterator revolves around two modes, but, surprisingly, both are very robust. The live play mode serves as the entry gates for getting into the title – it is much easier to use and while it doesn’t give users as much freedom and customization as there is to be found in the studio mode, there are still a number of options and functions to utilize with easy-to-understand button icons that are situated around the virtual Timbaland. Users can even record sessions from the live play mode and paste them as loops into the studio mode for tweaking and customization, doubling the usage of the feature. In this initial mode, while there isn’t much to it, it’s easy, accessible and users will be able to pump out some decent tunes in no time flat.

Once users roll over into the studio mode, however, Beaterator becomes a different beast, reflecting more of what you would expect to see in an eJay studio or any other PC tool that costs more than Beaterator. Users will be menu surfing through a string of complex options, which will no doubt intimidate some. There are tutorials tucked away in the game, but given the simplistic PSP layout, users will find the menu navigation to be a tad bit clunky as opposed to a similar mouse-and-keyboard setup that allows commands to be quite spread out when compared to a cramped PSP screen. Navigation and complexity aside, though, the user is given a number of impressive tools that dictate a mass of musical functions that even allow users to control settings on individual layers.

As an application, the modes offered weigh heavily on the quality of the overall package and, thankfully, Beaterator pulls through on these offerings. You can spend 15 minutes in live play fooling around or 15 hours mulling over every single detail of a creation in the studio mode, which tells me Rockstar Leeds understands how to craft a title fit for a portable system. That being said, however, there are some nuances to be had given the limitations imposed by the PSP’s layout that hamper the controls and the nature of the title and its depth certainly won’t be for everyone. Even so, Beaterator meets the goal it set out to accomplish, giving players a solid music application on the system and rewarding dedicated users with the fruits of their own labor.

With the game’s online functionality in tandem with a PC, users can share that fruit with other users, building a sense of community that is missing from the portable system outside of any game with Monster Hunter in its title. With Rockstar planning to host contests and highlight feature submissions, these motivations will intensify the dedication of serious users and if being able to endlessly create your own music doesn’t serve as replayability, this certainly fuels the fire a little more. If you can get lost in music like I can, it won’t be hard to get pulled into the community and it’s hard to put down the system until you finish a song or get a section of a song just right. It also helps that Beaterator is a one-of-a-kind title on the system right now, as while it is hardly the first console creation tool and definitely not the first on the PC, the online functionality and live play mode really brighten the appeal of the title, especially for music fans.

Honestly, while using Beaterator, users will be staring at a lot of menus in the studio mode, making the appearance of the title a standard affair. As a tool, this is generally forgivable as what is provided for users isn’t bad, it just does its part in giving players some visual feedback on what is going on and nothing more. You do get a few videos and Timbaland avatar moments that stand out, but, clearly, overall, the sound takes the full presentation stage in the title. Surely, not every user is going to agree on what genres, instruments, etc., should be represented but there is a healthy mix of samples provided in the game with a chunk coming straight from Timbaland himself. While some users might not find some of the samples useful, the samples do what they should and ring through pretty clearly (although this is definitely a title where headphones or earbuds are a must). You’ll also get a number of standard clicks and such for the menu navigation, but, as expected, the audio is where Beaterator truly shines.

That being said, though, there are some disc access quirks with the title. Samples can take a bit of time to load up, making the previewing process a bit of a pain. I also occasionally received messages stating the title couldn’t locate a sample on the disc and then played or loaded the sample anyway. These are just a few setbacks I encountered with the sound’s implementation, though, as I found the title’s sound to be very solid and I was able to create a few decent tracks just through goofing around and then tweaking the sound in the studio mode. Relying on loops and electronic production, the samples revolve around electronic genres such as D&B and U.K. garage and dabble into others such as hip-hop. Typically, I always make a point to say that tastes in music are subjective, but, perhaps this is one of the few cases I can say if you don’t like the music in the title, it’s most likely your fault for creating it. On that note, however, if you are a hater of the pre-made loops, Beaterator gives you tools to create your own loops as well as to import various sounds. The depth is great, however, again, the only thing holding users back from creating a masterpiece is their patience with the software’s complexity.

GemuBaka Final Review Score: 4 of 5

Beaterator is a cheaper alternative to the great PC music creation tools, yet it still manages to hang with those offerings in terms of customization and content. Gamers will have to know straight up, Beaterator is a tool as opposed to a “game,” but those that stick with it will be able to make satisfying compositions, even if the title is a bit difficult to work with due to the PSP’s layout. The community features for the title will have dedicated users going on the application for quite some time, meaning anyone serious about creating music will get their money’s worth here. The live play mode allows users to jam for a short time, while the studio mode can keep players wrapped up for hours, making it a perfect portable music tool. The title has a couple of setbacks to iron out, for sure, but Beaterator easily hangs with the best of the bunch in the console/handheld music creation group.