*Pictures coming soon for these games…Internet is very slow here

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii) was my favorite of Namco/Bandai’s showings.  The game takes everything the first Tales of Symphonia game on the Gamecube did well, and makes it 10 times better.  The battle system is still very free-form and allows for a number of new combos and strategies. The addition of a complete monster capture/training system is a welcome one.  There are almost 220+ monsters that can be caught in the game and each have their own evolutions and level up as in most RPGs (very similar to Pokemon).  Every monster levels up just like your characters and can be assigned strategies throughout any battle.

Another huge addition is 4-player multiplayer support.  Up to 4 of your friends can join your party at any time in the game and take control of one of your party members to control themselves.  I didn’t get to test this feature out, but I’m really looking forward to when the game finally releases in the States.

Active Life Outdoor Challenge (Wii) was the first game I demoed here at E3.  It was interesting to say the least.  The game uses a custom pad called the Active Life pad, which comes bundled with the game.  The pad is very similar to the NES’s Power Pad, and actually, the original Power Pad was developed by Namco back in the day.  Active Life features a number of ‘outdoor’ events such as jumping hurdles, rope climbing, and jumping over logs.  Both multiplayer and co-op modes are available, and the pad can accommodate 2 people simultaneously (although sometimes you bump into each other and lose your balance).  2/3 of the games included feature multiplayer/co-op modes to add some replayability to the game.  The game comes with the Active Life pad and retails for $59.  Look for this to release in Early September.

Digimon World Championship (DS) was the next game at Namco’s booth, and I wasn’t too impressed with the game.  It attempts to feature options similar to Pokemon where you can battle, train, and hunt for more Digimon.  But here’s where it falls short….The training is all automated when you place your Digimon in a ‘training area’.  The battles are also all automated and don’t involve any interaction whatsoever.  In the end, the game looks to be a glorified Tamagotchi.  One semi-redeeming factor is that the game features both local and wifi multiplayer modes.

Wii Cheer (Wii) surprised me a lot.  The game is surprisingly easy to play.  The learning curve is really low and the gameplay is very similar to Elite Beat Agents for the DS.  All the motions in the game are executed by using two Wii remotes in synchronized patterns on the screen.  The game also features a large number of tracks from Hillary Duff to newer Punk/Emo groups.  The game will go on sell in Early September.

I’m writing more impressions as we speak and will post those up asap.