About Justin Sharp

Kingdom Hearts’ producer told Famitsu magazine that there are plans for more titles in the series next year. Here’s the quote from Joystiq:

Kingdom Hearts producer Tetsuya Nomura told …
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There’s a new addition to the site–Wii Codes. It’s a place to submit your Wii Codes in the comments area. Make sure to bookmark the page and check back …
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NGCFrance is getting reports out of Japan about a follow-up to Wii Sports. They say an official announcement should be made in the next few months. The sequel will …
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Red Steel is a game that has come under fire ever since it was released and even before its release. I have played through most of the story mode and have played A LOT of multiplayer. I’m not sure if most of the reviewers that reviewed the game didn’t play through the game all the way or not–but it seems to me they didn’t give the game enough credit for what it sought to accomplish with new ways of using the Wiimote. Well, let’s get started on the story mode.

The storyline for Red Steel is different than most, but fits the mold of a few other games. You play as an American named Scott. Your fiancee has been kidnapped and you father-in-law is part of a Yakuza clan. There is another Yakuza group who is responsible for his daughter’s kidnapping. So, naturally, you’re the one that’s supposed to save her. The storyline develops more as you go along, but it really isn’t the strong point of the game. The story mode can be frustrating at times. You go through 5-10 checkpoints in each different level, which is good because you can load from these checkpoints. The annoying thing is that you die A LOT–so it’s a good thing they have lots of checkpoints. Overall, the story mode is engaging enough to keep you coming back and playing. It offers plenty of new sword skills and weapons to master as you progress.

One thing I wanted to mention that I LOVE about the game is the upgradable sword techniques. At first, I was pretty disappointed in the mediocre sword fighting. But the farther you get in the game, the more sword moves you can master. Some of the newer moves require a lot more coordination. The beginning moves don’t require much, but the more complex moves are quite rewarding. For example, one move requires that you slash the wiimote right, then left, then slash the nunchuk left. It does all these moves in succession on the screen, so it’s like a slash, slash, parry. Very cool. Anyways, on to the multiplayer.

Now the multiplayer is a little bit of a mixed bag. There are only 4 levels to choose from, but my friends and I couldn’t get enough of Red Steel. The multiplayer really is fun, even if you or some of your friends are struggling with the controls. It makes it really fun when you can get someone from the other side of the room with only a pistol, or being able to throw the grenade without blowing yourself up :D

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Nintendo has updated their release schedule for Q1 2007. One significant change is the delay of Wii Play to February 12. There is also no mention of Metroid Prime …
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A new game in the Medal of Honor series was announced today–Medal of Honor Vanguard. It is being developed for the Wii and PS2. The title is supposed to …
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Prince of Persia Rival Swords is the final name for the upcoming Two Thrones remake. Rival Swords kinda has the same ring to it that The Two Thrones does. …
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Excite Truck was one of the games I purchased at launch, and one I’ve played almost non-stop since then. It’s a game that brings the fast-paced arcade style racing to the living room. I was skeptical at first to how the game would play, but my worries washed away in a splash of truck carnage.

Tricks and getting stars are the name of the game. While it’s good to get 1st in a race (you get 50 stars), the important thing is to get as many stars throughout the race. Big air, drifts, tree runs, air spins, truck smashes, and rings all add to your star count. The game provides plenty of unlockables as you progress through the game. There are tons of trucks, levels, tracks, and trophies to unlock.

Excite Truck has pretty intuitive controls. Most everyone I’ve played multiplayer with both experienced and non-experienced didn’t seem to have a problem picking the controls up. The multiplayer offers only 2-player support, but there’s a lot going on. I’m not sure it would be as fun looking at even a smaller split-screen, even if more of your friends could play. It’s a fun way to relax and get some fast-paced racing compared to something like Need for Speed.

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Toys “R” Us has issued a press release saying they will be receiving “thousands” of Wii systems as well as more PS3, 360, and GBA systems before Christmas. Here’s …
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I realize that my last post about Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones coming to Wii may have been hard to believe, but these pictures should at least confirm the …
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Here are the latest Japanese Hardware sales from Japan this past week. Looks like Nintendo has been releasing those stock-piled DS Lites. We knew they were saving some for the …
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