NEWOSSIP

After years of waiting that were lengthened by numerous delays, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has finally hit the shelves of Japan. While most gamers will have to wait until March (or later, for those outside of North America) to get their hands on this title, an estimated 500,000 copies have fallen into the hands of players in Japan, including myself. After putting quite a bit of time into this game, I would have to say that it was most definitely worth the wait, and that those still waiting have something to get excited about.

From the very beginning, Brawl is indeed quite different from the previous entry in the series on the Gamecube, Melee. “More items, more characters, and more features” could be used to sum everything up. And while many fans of the last entry wanted something along these lines, the results are not what most expected. The game has caused quite a stir among many competitive players, but most will find almost every change welcome, especially making the game more balanced for players who aren’t as serious.

Going into the launch of this game, I decided to re-acclimate myself with the Smash universe, and play through Melee to get ready. Having not played on a truly competitive level, but still being aware of the more advanced tactics that are used in higher level play, I was curious to see whether or not these would be retained in Brawl. And indeed, many will find that these have not been carried over. This is probably due to the fact that most of those things were merely exploits or glitches in the game, and not truly meant to be there. I’m personally glad this was the case, as it makes the game a great deal more accessible to casual players, especially new players that have never experienced the series before.

ThunderBoltGames

The beauty of Endless Ocean is that players can do as much or as little as they like. The relaxed and calm atmosphere of the game gives divers the freedom to explore special locations such as shipwrecks and underwater ruins, discover and interact with sea-life, complete fish logs or simply relax in the soothing environment. The game opens with players onboard a diving boat, with a crew member who provides advice and tips on finding the best locations for fish and helps players advance the storyline. Players must assume the role of the diver, opting to go into the water to explore sea-life at their own pace utilising tools such as a camera or fish bait. In the cabin on the boat, divers can access the fish log to check out the fish that have been spotted, as well as carry out missions like photographing marine life. These missions unlock content, such as new items to use underwater, or different diving gear that can be used to customize the diver. Navigating their way through the depths using the Wii remote, players guide their character using the pointer’s cursor, visible as a bright blue dot. When players wish to interact with fish or plants they can highlight them with the pointer and press the A Button. By doing so, players discover new species and build up their fish log. What’s more you can also befriend companions like a dolphin which will become your partner and with whom you can train and swim with.

Nintendo

As the series’ fifth console game in 10 years (spanning three generations of PlayStations), Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds doesn’t look to drastically re-imagine the formula; for better or worse, what we’ve seen so far clings fiercely to the straightforward mechanics that made the original a splash so many years ago, while embracing the incorporation of online play, and making sure to look just good enough to keep you happy.If you’ve never touched a Hot Shots, you wouldn’t know that the control scheme stands in stark contrast to Tiger Woods titles. In the Tiger series, your swings are purely analog, relying on the control stick and a fair bit of thumb magic to pull off good shots consistently; in Hot Shots, you’re simply asked to hit the X button three times — once to start the horizontal meter’s cursor shooting towards the power setting, once more to stop it as close to the end as possible for full power (or stop short if you need less), and a final time to set accuracy on the other end of the meter. It’s clean, comprehendible, and visually recognizable. Once you factor in the various types of spins you can put on any shot and start paying attention to the wind and lie of the course, you quickly realize just how deep this cutesy game is, and why the series is so beloved by fans.

1up.com