Lost Planet: I Told You So

Posted Apr 14, 2007 by Wes Phillips

Updated Apr 14, 2007 at 10:14 PM

As I said in this here blog, it wouldn’t be long before some of Capcom’s Xbox 360 exclusives went to other platforms. And it didn’t take very long at all.  At the company’s Gamer’s Day this week they announced that the bug-smashing, grappling-hook adventure “Lost Planet” is coming to Windows PCs.

It’s not exactly PlayStation 3, but if you look at that 360 box it says “only on Xbox 360.” Not only is “Lost Planet” shedding the tag, but it’s getting graphical enhancements thanks to DirectX10 and nVidia. If you don’t understand all my mumbo-jumbo then you probably don’t have the required juice in your computer to take advantage of the snow-covered goodness.

Look for the PC version in June and I’m predicting that you’ll see a version/sequel on PlayStation 3 by next year.

---

---

Super Paper Mario

Posted Apr 13, 2007 by Wes Phillips

Updated Apr 16, 2007 at 03:57 PM

System: Nintendo Wii

Publisher: Nintendo

Reviewer’s rating: A

ESRB rating: Everyone

Game type: Platformer/role-playing

Kind of like: “Paper Mario” meets “Super Mario World”

Best feature: The ability to transform the traditional 2-D Mario side-scroller into a 3-D adventure for short bursts.

Worst feature: The text-based cutscenes may be a convention of many Japanese role-playing games, but here they just slow the old plumber down.

The bottom line: It’s taken almost six months, but the Nintendo Wii has its first Mario game. “Super Paper Mario” may not be the straight platformer many are accustomed to, but the addition of RPG elements adds depth to the game.

There are hit points, item menus and overly complex storylines just like “Paper Mario,” but unlike “Paper Mario” the action is fast and furious. Instead of turn-based combat, “SPM” relies on old-fashioned shell jumping. The levels are vibrant and colorful, but beneath the surface lies a genius gameplay mechanic.

When an obstacle becomes too much to overcome, press a button and the view will switch into 3-D for a limited time. Enemies will still appear in 2-D so they are flat and easy to avoid while bridges and paths will appear that couldn’t be seen from a 2-D vantage point.

It all adds up to a Mario game that is as deep as it is fun. “Super Paper Mario” is the first must-own Wii title of 2007.

---

Wario: Master Of Disguise

Posted Apr 13, 2007 by Doug Buel

Updated Apr 16, 2007 at 03:52 PM

System: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Nintendo

Reviewer’s rating: D

ESRB rating: Everyone 10+

Game type: 2-D platformer

Kind of like: A “Mario” game, but you have to draw on the screen to use certain powers

Best feature: Personally, we like Wario because he is greedy.

Worst feature: The controls are abysmal.

The bottom line: One of the major perks of the Nintendo DS is the touch screen. It allows for all sorts of innovative game mechanics.

Somewhere along the way, “Wario: Master of Disguise” went horribly wrong. Somebody thought it would be a good idea to make a game that requires movement with the thumbpad, jumping and bashing with the buttons and touching the screen to use powers.

Well, we don’t have three hands.

Sure, you could touch the screen with your thumb. But it’s really annoying.

You might think you could forgo using Wario’s powers in the game and simply run and jump your way to victory. Wrong. Too many events in the game require switching powers.

Wario jumps around like Mario or Yoshi would in their games, but the heart of “Master of Disguise” is a costume change system that gives Wario his abilities. Draw a helmet on him and he turns into a spaceman with a laser. Make a swoosh across him and he becomes a dashing thief.

It sounds good. But when you have to change costumes back and forth, over and over, while still trying to use both hands to make him move and jump, it gets old really fast.

Wario finds treasure chests with prizes inside, but winning them requires playing dull mini- games.

---

Tedeschi-Little Feat Tickets On Sale

Posted Apr 13, 2007 by Clarisa Gerlach

Updated Apr 13, 2007 at 03:47 PM

Susan Tedeschi and Little Feat will perform April 21 at Jannus Landing, 16 Second St. N. in St. Petersburg. Tickets, $29.99 plus service charges, go on sale Saturday, April 14, at 10 a.m. If available, tickets at the door will be $33. Call Jannus, (727) 896-2276, or Ticketmaster, (813) 287-8844.

---

Terror May Be The Only Sane Reaction

Posted Apr 13, 2007 by Curtis Ross

Updated Apr 16, 2007 at 03:45 PM

“This place terrifies me,” Decemberists’ singer Colin Meloy said from the stage of Orlando’s Hard Rock Live on Sunday night.

It wasn’t the venue that put the fear in Meloy but the surrounding CityWalk at Universal Studios.

I could see what he meant. When the Hard Rock Live opened in 1999, CityWalk was mostly a collection of theme restaurants—Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, NBA City and NASCAR Cafe.

Now, CityWalk resembles a mall (or “shopping village”) shot up with steroids and reflected in a funhouse mirror.

Garishly lit logos and booming music assault the eyes and ears as soon as one finishes the long walk from the parking lot to CityWalk. Kiosks force pedestrians toward the permanent buildings that line each side of the lane.

It’s the bastard spawn of the unholy union between a mall and an amusement park. It puts consumerism on a scale with “E.T. Adventure” and “Back to the Future … The Ride” and other theme park attractions.

It reminded me of an interview I did in 1999 with a Billboard editor.

At the time, ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears were leading a best-selling charge of teen pop. The music also appealed to youngsters who weren’t yet in their teens.

The editor saw this as a good thing and praised the British market for having a leg up on the United States.

British labels, the editor said, “are more savvy about marketing singles to get youngsters in the habit of buying music.”

In other words, training young consumers, teaching them to shop and instilling a “you are what you buy” mentality in kids barely old enough to get an allowance.

Theme parks’ target audience is families, and that means kids. CityWalk’s bright lights and eye-popping design tell youngsters that shopping is as desirable as a ride on the roller coaster or log flume.

---