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GameStop.com Used Price (@ time of post): 4.99

I really geek out when it comes to robots.  I mean I REALLY geek out when it comes to robots.  I didn’t have a teddy bear when I was little. I had a Gundam plush. I’m still waiting for a Big O game to come out.  I think its one of the driving passions in the field I’m in now. Now, when I see a video game that has robots, I usually just stand in the middle of the store and squeal until they give me a free copy.  However,  after playing Custom Robo Arena, ill be writing apology notes to a few Walmarts.

I like to think that here at GWAL, we help others on a budget to have a great gaming experience.  This also means we offer some games that you might be better off renting or skipping all together.  Custom Robo Arena is one such game.  Now the gameplay in this robot fighter is actually pretty good.  Imagine Armored Core’s gameplay made for younger audience.  The robots could look like giant pandas and I would still enjoy the customization and battles that went on in Custom Robo Arena.  Different guns, lasers, bombs, and missiles add to the fun as you chase your opponent down in alternating arenas. The designs in the game are a little immature for my taste but this is a DS game.  That being said, I still had fun in the arena battles I was in. The multiplayer is awesome…..if you can find someone.

Other than the fighting, there isn’t much else.  What’s left is detrimental to the package as a whole. Imagine middle school and substitute football for robo battles and you have got the story. Some masters and shops exist but this only manages to add depth up to a pothole level.  Speaking of the story, the entire story is told through dialoauge and there is a LOT of dialouge.  I think War and Peace was shorter then the script for this game. It dosn’t help that everyone has a piece of the story but that person dosn’t know who has the next piece… Often I found myself not wanting to go on after 10 mins. of gameplay due to the lengths I had to go through to get to the next battle.

All and all, Custom Robo Arena is a DS game I would rent at best.  There are just better games in the genre like Armored Core to push Custom Robo Arena beyond a rent.  Its just not worth shifting through so much idle chatter in order to fight robots.  Gundams? Maybe, but not these bots

IGN.com Review

Metacritic Score (@ time of post):  74 out of 100

Gamestop.com Used Price (@ time of post): $19.99 for Wii

Twilight Princess was the first game I played on the Wii.  Actually, I bought the game before I owned a Wii, and I do not regret the purchase.  Now that the price is reasonable, this is a must have game.  The game play is similar to other Zelda games with a few twist.  Transforming into a wolf gives the player a new set of logic problems to figure out.  Being able to swing the Wii remote like a sword was exciting to me as new Wii owner, but to experienced users this may be old hat.

IGN.com review

Metacritic score (@time of post): 95 out of 100 (Wii)

App Store Price @ Time of Post: $ 3.99

With everything that can be found in the App Store today, I have started to search more and more by developers then actual games. As of late, Kairosoft LTD. has been grabbing my money faster the the government can.  Developers of Game Dev Story, they have been developing robust but 16 -bit sims for some time now. There latest creation is a step apart. Mega Mall Story is a reminder why capitalism works.

Mega Mall bases everything off two currencies. Hearts and coins. Coins let you buy things and Hearts let you research or improve stores or ideas.  Coins you get from customers purchasing things and hearts are from how satisfied the customers are with the stores they visit.  This is the basis of gameplay.

They real fun starts in with customization. Making your customers happy opens up options like investing in your neighborhood around the mall, new stores, new upgrade for stores.  These range from covered walkways for pedestrians to comic books in the book store to a helicopter pad to bring capitalist consumers to there favorite seventh story aquarium.  The only thing else to add is that it is Kairosoft game.  This means its 16bit happiness in an app that’s perfect for pick up and players.  Situation comes up, you take care of it, and then just let it run; or put in ANOTHER coffee shop.

The only draw back is the score feature.  You have 20 years game time to make the best mall you can. After that, it stops the scoring for high scores but you can still continue to build.  Not all that bad. You may have a 40 floor tall Tiny Tower full of comrades but my Mega Mall escorts bears in helicopters.

Now,  if you will excuse me, I’m going to the subway to play in my underground arcade.  If my battery holds out

IGN.com Review

Metacritic Score @ time of post: 85 out of 100

PlayStation Network price @ time of post: $9.99

Do you ever get sick of video game heroes who won’t stop talking long enough to get anything accomplished? Well then, FF8 just might be the answer to your prayers. Meet young Squall Leonheart, a military academy student who wants nothing to do with responsibility or saving the world. Of course, the video game gods are not so gracious, and before he knows it Squall must defeat an evil sorcerous with terrible ambitions while also falling in love with Rinoa Heartly, a beautiful, spirited young woman who could really stand to stop being so pushy once in a while. Honestly, she spends most of the game as the sort of girl that guys date for three months before getting sick of listening to her talk about her pet dog. Granted, she does get better, and actually becomes a pretty likeable character by the end of things.

Although overdramatic at times with some forced story elements -usually involving Guardian Forces, the game’s equivalent of summons-and a battle system that is unchallenging provided you are patient and understand what you’re doing, FF8 has plenty of optional events to keep you busy and a few fascinating characters to keep you interested. Though hardly life-changing with its PlayStation One graphics, its graphics have “charachter” and more maturity than previous FF titles and its battle music is several steps above average. Besides, unlike Final Fantasy 7, you can actually order a hard copy of 8 without costing yourself an arm and a leg while getting about the same amount of entertainment out of it. So take my advice and don’t miss out on the socially-awkward epicness of Squall Leonheart as he fights for the right to be irresponsible.

Gamespot Review

Metacritic Score @ time of post: 90

Gamestop Used Price @ time of post: $19.99

Fear. One of the primal driving forces of all living creatures. The ultimate idea of humility.  Its also a lot of fun too which is one reason I adore horror games.  Unfortunately, the art of making classics such as Resident Evil and the older Silent Hill’s seems to have diminished a bit in the past few years.  Cue the theme music because Dead Space has come in the nick of time to stomach-punch Santa and deliver all those things we want in a horror game.

I choose to do horror movies a little differently then other games for the fact that they are the bulk of what I play.  Here is the breakdown.

Story: Issac Clark steps on boxes the way this game steps on a bad horror story.  Its a good story for horror and even a good sci-fi story but in today’s age there are only so many ways to write horror.  However, this story is definitely one of the best stories of the genre.  You are Issac Clark, a simple space engineer who has been dispatched to the the planet cracker USG Ishimura.  No contact, no one aboard,  and of course your shuttle has a mechanical failure. (Some engineer you are). I won’t go in to much detail but just know that your going to be smashing, hitting and shooting creatures that are made of the dead, decaying bodies of your fellow citizens. And there is no cake.

Setting:  Your on one ship but this is a Planet Cracker-class ship. Its meant for deep space mining and being out for long periods of time.  Its also overrun with creatures that look like they had a run in with a Zerg-inspired industrial fryer. Some sections are exposed to space and micro-gravity. You spend your time on one deck at a time. Cargo holds to command bridge, you cover almost the whole ship looking for what you need to get the next part up and running.  The ship has one mode, creepy and hole-infested. Oh, and the wails of what is coming to examine your work

Graphic:  Simply amazing. everything from your menu to the depressurization sequences are highly artistic and striking.

Sound: This game has one of the best sound schemes I have ever heard in a horror game or any game for that matter.  Silent heroes usually get the best sound scape but this one is really amazing. The sounds that describe the insanity, gloom and doom, sudden surprise, mechanics of the ship, and those tearjerker moments of levity all combine to remind you of one thing. They are watching you.

Gameplay:  Try to stay alive and get out while fighting off the Necromorphs.  Shooting them straight on does work but a good old fashioned dismemberment is the best. You also get to use that fancy engineer brain to upgrade your suit and and weapons while inventing new ones. The action and exploration is only held back by the amount of back-tracking there is. Some times you have to jump around quite a bit just to get to the next area.  Some of the controls are also confusing but a little reading of the options screen can remedy this.

Replay: its worth going through a few times to get the whole story but watch it on the difficulty.  You cannot change it once you start. I found that you can also get more gameplay out of this great title by letting that one person who does not like horror movies play under the pretext of “it just a game”.

All and all, great game that could be a great movie under the right direction.  Just play with the lights on…..on second thought, it really doesn’t matter. Necromorphs will hunt you no matter what.  Like that one behind you.  Dibs on your stereo.

IGN Review

Metacritic score @ time of post: 88 out of 100

Gamestop New Price @ time of post: $19.99

As the first Final Fantasy game to be released on a next-gen console, the expectations for 13 were pretty high, and in terms of graphics it didn’t disappoint. In fact, if graphics were all it took to make an awesome game, 13 would be one of the best games yet. Of course, most of us know that it takes more than cool environments, sparklies, and intricately designed hair to make a good video game. As you travel the world as the fierce, headstrong Ligthning and her dorky and occasionally endearing colleagues (a guy named Hope with a boomerang? Really, SquareEnix? *facepalm*), the player is introduced to an epic, intricate story with each character trying to defy the curse that has left them with a fate that makes death seem like a reasonable alternative. Unfortunately, the story is painfully linear, allowing the player almost no freedom until disc 3 when you’re just ready to end things. Still, if you can get past the overall lack of freedom and sense of companionship among the party members, then 13 might be a worthwhile investment for those who are looking for a beautiful game with a good story, and interesting battle system, or frequently placed save points. FF13 is nothing revolutionary, but you can certainly do a lot worse for 20 dollars. So check it out already, if you can handle the pink-haired awesomeness that is Lighting.

IGN Review

Metacritic score @ time of post: 83 out of 100

Gamestop Price @ time of post: $4.99 used

Have you ever seen that guy? That one guy that has intensity about him.  That one guy that your not sure why he is smiling like that but you are sure you don’t want to know? If you have, stop staring at my Facebook page and check out this interesting title that he might like.  Trapt is a Japanese concept game for the PlayStation 2. Yes, 2 so be wary about compatibility problems.  If your looking for a great horror story like BioShock or Silent Hill, this isn’t it.  The game stays true to its Japanese style by exemplifying the “all your base are belong to us” concept.  The subtitles (no English)  and story are mediocre at best.  The short of is that your the attractive Princess Allura who has been framed for the King’s murder.  To protect your self from the masses, you make deal with this haunted castle to stop anyone that is after you by any means necessary.  That is where it gets good. Really good. Allura stops the teams of 2 to 5 intruders by laying traps but the kick is that these traps are Tim Burton-Inspired Wes Craven originals. Guillotines, Electrified squares, buzz saws and many more are available and more become available as you progress. Simply lay the trap of your choice, draw someone or ones to it and spring it.  You can also (and are encouraged to) combo people with traps.  For example, you can wall-lance someone on to a spring platform and then launch them in to square where a guillotine drops on them for more points.  Even the environments provides traps to expand on your deadly Rube Goldberg – ness.  Graphics are slightly above average and nicely adapted to time and settings. Soundtrack is suitable to the situation but easily forgettable.  The gameplay is were this game excels so if you have a little spare time between now and the next best horror game, give this game a try.  One weekend is all you need to try this unique and innovative title.  And remind me not to make you mad in the future.

IGN Review

Metacritic Score @ time of post: 60 out of 100