Free Download Igor (PC)

When I first viewed the trailer for the movie Igor I instantly thought it was a spiritual sequel to A Nightmare Before Christmas. The character designs and art style of Igor reminded me of the Tim Burton classic so I was intrigued to play the PC game. Even though my interest in seeing the movie is still high the game has definitely left me with a lasting memory. Unfortunately that memory is more of a nightmare than a holly jolly Christmas-morning lucid dream.

Igor is your typical platform game that you probably expect with a movie-based game. You control Igor and three of his creations as you explore the land of Malaria (yes, Malaria) on the quest to win the annual Evil Science Fair. Each character in the game has its own unique powers and abilities to help you on your quest. Igor is a standard character with decent power but with a special wand/rod he can use to attack and connect with various locks throughout the world. Eva is Igor’s latest creation that hasn’t worked out the way Igor imagined. Instead of being an evil-menacing creature, Eva is now a lighthearted lady who doesn’t have an evil bone in her body. Scamper is a rabbit-like creature with huge ears, which can shock enemies, that can jump extremely high to help you find hard to reach items. Brian is simply just a robot with a brain that can shoot rocket-like projectiles that can register the most damage of all the characters.

All of the characters are interesting and have a very unusual yet appealing look to them. Even with the interesting characters the game itself just falls flat, really flat. You’ll find yourself just running around stages picking up items and fighting monsters. Sure, that sounds like typical stuff in just about every game on the market but Igor doesn’t offer anything interesting to make you want to keep playing. Most of the items you collect in the game are used to unlock additional parts of a stage. Yet you’re still collecting other items but you never really know why.

The layout of all the stages feels very repetitive no matter how many different creatures the game throws out at you. The game flows like this for what seems like every level: Fight monsters, collect items to unlock next part of stage, collect more items and then fight the boss. Repeat, repeat and repeat for every stage and you get the idea. To make matters even worse, the game has a terrible camera angle that can’t be adjusted and gets in the way of the action many times. It’s hard to enjoy a game when you’re trying desperately to move the camera angle because you can’t see where the enemies are coming from or where your characters are going.

Probably the only true positive part of the gameplay is the ability to switch between the four different characters during the game. All of the characters are on the screen at the same time and you can switch between them at anytime with a simple press of a button. As I mentioned earlier each character has its own unique abilities that will help you locate items in the game. Each character definitely feels and plays differently and you will find yourself switching characters repeatedly. Eva for smashing down barriers, Igor for unlocking locks, Brian for firing off missiles and Scamper for jumping. Unfortunately the description sounds more exciting than the actual gameplay.

In the end Igor ends up being that typical movie-based video game that we used to hate playing. Sure the key ingredients are included such as playing as the four main characters and having a solid look that mimics the movie. However, the game probably should have stayed in the oven a little bit longer since the gameplay is a repetitive mess that never comes together. If you enjoy the movie then you’ll probably find something to enjoy with the game. However, if you want to play the game first before seeing the movie, like me, then you might want to try and forget the game a few days before the movie.

Review Scoring Details for Igor the Game

Gameplay: 5.2
A platforming game that just repeats itself over and over again with a bad camera is never a completely pleasant experience. Switching between the four characters does help alleviate a little bit of the repetition.

Graphics: 6.5
The look and style of the game will probably remind many gamers of The Nightmare Before Christmas. The wacky and over-the-top look with a twinge of creepiness is present in the entire game.

Sound: 7.0
The voice acting in the game was well done with some decent quotes from the various characters in the game. The music in the game, once again, reminded me of the Tim Burton movie with the soundtrack by Danny Elfman. Crazy music that you’ll find yourself humming from time to time.

Concept: 5.0
Besides controlling the four different characters the game misses the bar in getting to the next level of gameplay. The gameplay in Igor is nothing you won’t find in other games and some with much better execution.

Difficulty: Easy
No one should have a problem making it through this game in one long setting or a couple of days.

Overall: 5.9
The presentation of the game does a decent job of sucking you in while the gameplay tries hard to push you away. Sure, sometimes you have to take the good with the bad and when you do Igor ends up being an Ok game. Not great and definitely not perfect. For the younger audience Igor will probably be a game to keeps them entertained for hours on end, especially if they went to see the movie.

Free Download Outcry (PC)

Outcry is definitely different. The designers created a unique atmosphere to the game by depicting it visually as an old, grainy film throughout the entire game. While the different chapters are depicted in different color themes, they are all washed with the same overall graininess, light fluctuations and wavering lines that run across intermittently. This visual affect makes the whole game seem almost like a memory of times past. The actual time frame of the story is unstated, and could be anytime between the late 19^th century and early 20^th century. This is a strange-looking game, and the story is just as strange to match.

The protagonist’s brother is missing, and is searching his apartment for any clues to his brother’s disappearance. Once he enters the apartment, he listens to a recorded audio message from his brother stating that if he is listening to this message, then the worst must have happened. He then begins to investigate the apartment, and discovers many strange writings and machines. It soon becomes apparent that his brother believed that a form of time travel could be achieved by separating the mind from the body. The rest of the game is spent trying to follow the path taken by his brother.

The story is bizarre, and the setting equally so. Everything is muted and gloomy, and the music is soft and sad, as well. This is a lonely game, on the lines of Myst and The Lighthouse, but even more so. At least in those games there was sunlight.

Like the classic Myst, this is a first-person adventure. The look and type of mechanical puzzles is a little similar to the ones in Syberia, with a sort of H.G.Wells or Jules Verne feel and appearance to them. The isolation is furthered by the soft music and minimal sound effects, plus the lack of any real human interaction with other characters. This is a puzzle-driven game, with a mix of inventory-based and mechanical puzzles. These puzzles range from slightly difficult to very difficult. The main challenge with the manipulative mechanical puzzles is that there is an almost total absence of any type of direction while working the puzzle. There is no visual feedback, and only a few times where sounds give a few hints. And, to find out if the combination is successful, oftentimes the player will have to leave the location and see if anything is happening elsewhere. I admit, I used a walkthrough to get past a few of the lever and handle ones.

The story centers on a mystical separation of mind and body, which supposedly can enable a type of time travel. This story is interesting, but is cluttered with too many different ideas on this subject. Dolmens (ancient stone buildings), Freud and Jung, and even botany are among the many subjects that are presented to further the story. By introducing so many different reasons for the possibility of time travel, the story becomes a confusing mixture of separate parts, rather than a cohesive whole.

This is a Russian designed game and has been translated into English for the North American market. The translation is bad, but is not as jarring as in Sinking Island, as most of the language is written rather than spoken. I did have to laugh at the “antic potsherds,” though. Makes you wonder what they were getting up to, huh? What was really funny about that phrase was the fact it was spoken in a straight manner by the person reading it in English. Most of the papers can be read silently, but sometimes there is a mandatory reading of the material. This narrator didn’t seem to have accented English, but he couldn’t have been a native English speaker, unless he was a robot. There were many other strange wordings. What does it mean to “couch” a plant in a greenhouse? Is this a real botanical term?

Finding the different clues and items can be a little challenging. Hunting for things is quite difficult, as everything is the same color and dark, and sometimes things are found at odd viewpoints, in corners of the screen or way down on the floor. The camera viewpoints are narrow and players can only see one aspect of an area at a time in most locations. Also, sometimes things have interactive icons, but can’t be used yet until something else is done. Many clues to solve different puzzles are tucked away in dry readings about psychology and plants, so it is important to not skip reading everything that is found.

The puzzles are the best feature of the game in terms of enjoyment, and are well-integrated with the story and are mostly logical. There is never a feeling that they are inserted solely to exist; they all have a purpose. While there should have been more direction and feedback for these puzzles, most people who really like fiddling with levers and the like will not have too much of a problem.

Outcry is indeed a unique and stylish game, and as such, is worth a try for players who enjoy these types of first-person adventures that are heavy on the mechanical puzzles and light on the dialogue. I found the story confusing and a little dull with all the required reading, but others may really enjoy it. This is much more my husband’s type of game rather than mine; he’s a Myst guy and I’m a Monkey Island girl. For the right person, this is the right game. The price is right, too, at $20.

Review Scoring Details for Outcry

Gameplay: 6.0
The gameplay is a mixed bag. The puzzles are quite good and challenging, but the story is all over the place. Also, the reading of dull material which is written in very bad English is not much fun, but required. Even if the translation was better, the material would still be uber boring. The atmosphere is handled very well, with the use of graphics and music to produce a creepy, silent world of days gone by. But the story takes away somewhat from this effect.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are excellent.

Sound: 8.0
The music and sound effects are exactly right.

Difficulty: Hard
The puzzles range in difficulty from medium to very hard. Some may have gamers scrambling for a walkthrough.

Concept: 6.0
Outcry has a great concept, but the execution isn’t as expected. Again, the bad writing really takes away from the game as a whole.

Overall: 6.5
Even though Outcry looks and sounds pretty good, looks don’t make a game. It has to be fun and interesting, too. While there are many aspects of this game that are interesting, there are also many times when the gameplay is boring and lackluster. The story as a whole just doesn’t appeal or resonate, and the writing is bad. Making people listen to the same spoken passages every time they look at some of the entries is not ideal, either. The diary is a large pain to try to read while the narrator is droning on and on. The only solution is to turn off the sound. The puzzles are very good for the most part, but getting the required pieces and clues isn’t always all that fun. On the other hand, gamers that enjoy solving mechanical puzzles in a solitary game setting will enjoy this game, despite the problems.

A Journey From Video Game To Online Computer Game.

Video games have been a significant force in society and one of the most popular leisure, more or less a solitary pursuits in those days of the late '70's and early 80's that relied on graphic improvements and better ways of shooting the enemy. There were games like Atari, Intellivision, Colecovision, Sega and Nintendo. With the rise of the Internet and online games however, lots of things changed, including the ability to download games and playing online games, making games a more of social activity, with lots of players, or opponents playing with each other from the different corner of the world thus making people from the different parts of the world come closer and interact with each other while playing.

It was Magnavox and their "Odyssey" system in 1972, which were the earliest video games that included twelve simple games with graphic overlays. It was very simple and needed lots of improvement. Seeking the opportunity Nolan Bushnell along with Al Alcorn, the founder of Atari created Pong complete with built in paddles, and a speaker and released it in the market after one year, which came out to be a great success. At the same time another video game Atari dominated the market. Among the other video games that were famous worldwide were Pac Man, the yellow blob that ate up dots and avoided squid-like ghosts, Space Invaders, Super Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and other classics.

With the running time industry was trying for more efficient system and as a result the entire industry adopted the implementation of the microprocessor due to which these systems produced groundbreaking and innovative graphical and auditory effects that had never been seen before. Millions of dollars were spent on video arcade machines and on home video game systems. Atari's VCS/2600 system still dominated the market throughout 1982, when the gaming market experienced a crash due to the loss of public interest in video game specific consoles, and sales dropped.

The video game history took a new turn with the end of the reign of Atari and with the two innovations in the year 1984. The two innovations were reduction in cost of Dynamic RAM (DRAM) chips, which allowed more memory, and the production of higher power 8-bit processors, which lowered the prices of the previous chips. Sega and Nintendo of Japan entered the console market and would battle over the next five years for dominance. Recently in this advance age of technology where the gaming market is saturated with hi-tech online computer games battle for domination is still in existence and this could be seen between PlayStation 2, the X box and the Game Cube.

Craps History

The historian may have a little trouble clearly defining the history of Craps. In some circles, Craps has a debatable history. I found it fairly challenging to trace the game of Craps back to one single origin.

If popularity is to rule the day, then we should go with a widely accepted origin. It's largely accepted that Craps evolved from an old game called Hazard, which was allegedly created by Bernard de Mandeville.

While his name might sound French, Hazard didn't come into being in France or even Europe. Nope. Hazard was forged right in the USA. The time was 1813 and the place was none other than party town New Orleans-figures right? As the legend goes, Hazard grew in popularity.

And here's something to completely throw you. Many found Hazard to be too complicated, so they simplified it. The new name? Craps. Many people today think Craps is extremely complicated. Can you imagine what Hazard must be like? The tables in Vegas would be barren-only a couple rocket scientists here and there. Come on baby, daddy needs a new pocket protector.

In the glory years, Craps was part of American culture. It was played in casinos and on many American streets. It was a game that was at least known about by most of society. And then the fall came. Some believe that gamblers just don't want to think much. They want to put their money down and have a set path with limited choices. The popularity decline of Craps over the past 20 years would seem to support this theory.

Craps' decline helped give rise to other games-like Blackjack. In the early 1990s, Las Vegas casinos experimented with a simpler version of Craps. Many of the decisions were taken out and it was more of a carnival came. There was one dealer-think Blackjack table here. You'd make a bet and throw the dice. It failed.

Real Craps players weren't interested in the novelty game and non-Craps players just didn't give a, well, crap. The casinos saw that there wasn't any real money in the game and ditched it.

I think the game failed, because of one critical issue-community. Most real world Craps players play the game, because of the atmosphere. They want to be where the action is. Also, they want others to throw the dice to mix things up. There's nothing better than a full table of happy Craps players. No matter where you are in the casino, you'll hear the shouts.

Craps also has an interesting twist. An empty table is hard to fill. Craps players go where other Craps players are. Take a look at any other game, like Blackjack. An empty table can be a welcomed sight. There's no other game as passionate as Craps.

Reasons To Play Poker

Poker has boomed in popularity over the past five years. What started as a game played on the fringes of American society has now become a worldwide phenomenon. There are a variety of reasons people play poker.

Financial: Poker is one of the few gambling games where players can actually win money in the long-term. This is because players play against each other instead of the house. A superior player is able to win over time by making skilled moves against his opponents.

However, making money isn't the only financial reason players opt to play poker. In fact, most people who play poker do not play for money; rather, they play for 'fake chips' which are not worth anything. Since poker is a skill-based game, it can be very entertaining without having to risk money. Poker is one of the few forms of entertainment that can be played for hours without paying a nickel.

Educational: Poker is a great method to brush up on math skills. Since much of the strategy in poker revolves around odds, players quickly become experts at calculating expected value and other mathematical principles. It is for this reason that some teachers are now employing poker in schools as a method for teaching expected value.

Social: A great way to kick back and relax is playing poker with friends. Poker facilitates conversation and a calm atmosphere especially when played for low-stakes or no money at all. Poker has been featured on multiple TV shows as a weekly social gathering, such as on Desperate Housewives, where the main characters have a revolving poker game each week.

Craps One Roll System

I once watched someone walk up to a table, play very little and walk away with a lot of winnings. Just how did this happen? I'll tell you.

One thing that kills a lot of Craps players is they think they need to have action all over the table all the time. There's nothing worse than having just a Pass Line wager and watching the shooter throw number after number. And that's what makes players bet more after the fact.

But, what if you could have minimal action, minimal risk and some upside? That's what this one roll Craps system is all about. It's kind of funny, because the probability of you "being caught" is minimal and you don't need many "hits" to get ahead even if you get caught.

The basis of the system revolves around the point numbers-4,5,6,8,9 and 10. Okay, refresher course time. Since where going to talk about the $10 wager level, let's first go over what a $10 wager on each of these numbers pays out.

4 and 10: $10 pays $20 (If bought)
5 and 9: $10 pays $14
6 and 8: $12 pays $14 (You don't place a $10 wager on these numbers)

Okay, let's get rolling. Keeping with our $10 theme, you're going to place $10 on each number-except the 6 and 8, which is $12 each. This is known as $64 across in Craps lingo. If you're playing in the real world, you could just say "$64 across" and the dealer will set up the cheques as I've laid out.

Now, here's the key. We don't want to keep our bets out there. All you're playing for is the very next roll. Once it happens, you take your wager down. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled, you make money. If a 2,3, 11 or 12 is rolled, nothing happens. And if a 7 is rolled, you lose. Not bad odds really.

Technically, you could do this system at any time. Most people will do it after the point is established-so once per point. I recommend waiting 1-2 rolls after the point. I do this because I can't tell you how many times I've seen people throw a 7 one roll after the point was established.

Here's something to ponder. When you get a "hit," you win $14 - $20. You're risking $64. As long as you get five hits per one lose-only a 7 kills you-then you make money! If you catch three 4's and/or 10's, you're at $60 already.

The system can be a tad boring for the hardcore Craps player, but watching your chip rack fill up should help some.

Buying WoW Gold or Building WoW Gold

To buy gold wow has been a debatable issue with World of Warcraft or WoW players. Probably the largest MMORPG on a global scale, World of Warcraft has an excess of one million paying users in North America alone. Wow gold is World of Warcraft s unit of currency. Even though there are instructional websites to teach players the methods of earning free wow gold, a majority prefer to buy gold wow to advance their virtual status in the game. It also saves them time. We come across virtual goods being sold for several thousands of dollars in the World of Warcraft game. When you buy gold wow it helps get your professions to a higher level.
Save Time When You Buy Gold Wow
Usually farming and patiently playing the game earns free wow gold. This can be used to buy weapons, spells, tools and other things needed to get ahead in the World of Warcraft. But since most of these are quite expensive it can take quite a long time to acquire the amount of gold needed. This is when most players prefer to buy gold wow. This can be done at really low prices by shopping around for the best rates since it is done online over the Internet. Depending on what stage you are in your game, you may want to buy gold wow if there is something you need badly but do not have sufficient time to earn it.
When many players started to buy wow gold a couple of years ago, it s value increased rapidly. This happened in spite of it not having any tangibility in the real world. Its main value lies with the players who treasure it the fans of the WoW game that are constantly looking for the best sources to buy it from.
Making money is never simple, whether it is in the real world or virtual. This is why players are tempted to buy wow gold from secure websites. Unless you are an accomplished player, collecting the gold you need could be a frustrating process. People are willing to pay real money to buy wow gold because it is a much-coveted article of trade.

Free Download TNA iMPACT!

Total Nonstop Action. That’s what the “TNA” in TNA iMPACT! stands for. It implies that the game you’re about to play is one of extreme entertainment – a fighter on overdrive that doesn’t take slow for an answer. If not that, then surely its title should embody the very essence that permeates the TNA franchise, a wrestling group that is known for its intense, expertly choreographed battles and unique Ultimate X competition.

Upon its unveiling last October, it appeared that TNA iMPACT! was set to achieve all of the above. It wouldn’t just be a licensed wrestling game – no, this was the game to crush Smackdown Vs. Raw, stomp on it like Christian Cage and choke it like AJ Styles. Speed wasn’t a concern because TNA iMPACT! played faster than any other wrestling game available.

Fast-forward to September 2008, the moment when the game was finally released. Featuring a small but respectable lineup of play modes, TNA iMPACT! comes with Standard Match, Tag Team, Free For All, Ultimate X, Ultimate X FFA (1 vs. 1 vs. 1), Submission, Handicap (1 vs. 2), FCA Match (falls count anywhere), and FCA Match Tag, along with a story mode that focuses on a fictitious star-in-the-making, Suicide. The dialogue isn’t good (cheesy voice acting makes it worse), and neither is the premise. But the presentation is very clever.

Just before Suicide’s battle for World Champion, two masked men bust into the locker room and demand that he takes a fall. Being the tough, does-whatever-he-wants kind of guy that he is, Suicide pretends to listen but scoffs after the two men leave. He goes ahead with his own plan – to win the fight – and earns the new title. Later that night, the masked men catch up with him and all but rip his face off.

Enter the game’s clever moment: Suicide’s face is going to be reconstructed and you get to play doctor. This player creation feature isn’t nearly as robust as those featured in EA’s sports games, but it’s good enough for a story mode (not so good elsewhere though). Now you’ve got to work your way back to the top. As a new version of Suicide, you’ll enter low-level matches that’ll make him miss his days as a champion.

Without having last year’s press-only demo in hand, there’s no way to judge the two for certain. But if my memory of that great experience is correct, the final game is actually slower than the first playable build was 11 months ago.

From a wrestling perspective, and perhaps when thinking about the competition and the gamer you’re trying to reach, this might have been a wise move. TNA is pretty fast, but this isn’t a sport that’s known for speed, not even when pre-choreographed. If the developers were seeking realism, or hoping to appeal to fans of Smackdown Vs. Raw, slow may have been the way to go.

But as a part of the fighting genre (which wrestling games very much are), speed is crucial. It’s not only vital to the first time you play the game – faster and more exciting games tend to invigorate us more than those that drag – but also to the long-term replay value. In that respect, TNA iMPACT! seriously erred.

Variety is another area that can make or break a fighting game. The most perfect combat system in the world means nothing if every combatant controls the same. Likewise, you can’t make a good game out of 30 fighting styles if none of them are fun to utilize. On that note, TNA iMPACT! leans toward the first approach, minus perfection. It has a solid (albeit flawed) combat system that encourages players to execute a series of grapples, jump attacks, ground assaults, and the familiar Irish Whip. One special finishing move is applied to each wrestler, which is stellar.

What’s not, however, is that the variety ends there. Individually, most wrestlers feel the same. The basic move set lets you grab (Y button), kick (A), punch (X), counter (RB), run (RT), and modify (LB). The B button functions as your action command, allowing you to pick up weapons, tag in a teammate, climb onto the apron, and so on. When combined with a modifier, attack buttons yield other types of assaults, but that’s about the end of your move set.

Each wrestler has access to the iMPACT! (finishing move) meter, which is filled by attacking and unleashed with a simple button tap after getting your opponent in a head hold. On the opposite end, players also have to worry about their stun meter filling every time they are hit. Once full, your wrestler will be stunned and unable to move or attack. To get out of this mess, quickly push the left stick back and forth until the negative effect wears off. This mechanic is also used to get out of a pin.

Reversals are an exercise in following the on-screen commands. During a submission hold, two button sets appear on screen, one for each player. If the wrestler being held enters the correct code, he breaks free; if the wrestler doing the submission enters the right code, he inflicts more damage. It’s a crazy system that just might have worked 15 years ago when we didn’t know that fighting games could do better. In today’s world, it merely feels like a mini-game collection.

Wrestler animations differ slightly, and their aesthetics are wonderfully close to the real TNA stars. But toss them into the virtual ring and they become clones of each other. More often than not, your opponent will defeat you with the same moves you used (or intended to use) because that’s all that is available to him.

This could be intentional – in hopes of reaching the broadest audience possible, the developers may have wanted to avoid making a game that was deep and potentially offensive to players that don’t want to dedicate any amount of time or skill to the experience. But to everyone else, especially diehard TNA fans, this could be the reason they aren’t playing this game for many years to come.

Review Scoring Details for TNA iMPACT!

Gameplay: 6.5
What started out as an original fighting game ended up feeling like a mellow Smackdown Vs. Raw clone. Moderately fun but the fun doesn't last.

Graphics: 8
The wrestlers look great, minus their expressions (which are rather lifeless). Backgrounds are colorful and flashy with a lively (though not always impressive) audience.

Sound: 5
Not the best or most engrossing soundtrack in the world, the voice acting is a bit cheesy, and the commentary is typically pointless and non-specific.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Whether you're a fighting game lover or Smackdown Vs. Raw player, TNA iMPACT! won't be much of a challenge for those who have some experience. And what about those who have no experience at all? They'll master it in a month, give or take a week. While a month might sound like a long time for an action game, it is very short for a fighting game.

Concept: 7
NQNA: Not Quite Nonstop Action.

Multiplayer: 5
Four local, two online. Not very deep.

Overall: 6.5
TNA iMPACT! has a great license and great characters, it just doesn't use either of them correctly.

Free Download GTR Evolution

on that one in a moment), as well as 500 different car variations in 12 distinct classes.

One of the biggest features in GTR Evolution is the inclusion of the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Essentially the holy grail of racing-sim tracks, the “Green Hell” is a 14-mile endurance test with tons of difficult turns and little room for error, making it a track that racing purists will spend countless hours trying to master. The Nordschleife is extremely difficult, but a great way to perfect your racing skills. Not just the Nordschleife, but each of the game’s tracks have been faithfully reproduced through GPS and CAD data, making for as authentic an emulation as you can get.

Another great feature in the game is the 25-player online racing modes. The action stays smooth and fairly lag-free throughout, and it’s extremely easy to hop into a race, making this a fine racer for online driving-sim fans.

The game also boasts dynamic weather effects that change during races, and the realistic physics engine ensures that you’ll definitely have to switch up your driving strategy as the weather changes.

Graphically, the game’s predecessors looked great, and this one is no different. GTR Evolution features great-looking vehicle models and fantastic looking courses. The game runs fairly smoothly with all of the features turned up, but can be scaled down without much of a hit in quality if you don’t have a high-end PC.

Soundwise, the game is also pretty impressive. While the music won’t win any awards, the sound effects are great, with discernable changes between each type of terrain and different engine noises for most vehicles.

GTR Evolution is a deep and complex racing game with tons of great elements. While there are a few problems that have been around in previous entries, like a missing career mode and rather weak vehicle damage, this is still a worthy incremental improvement over the rest of the series, and a fine addition to any hardcore racing-sim fan’s PC library.

Review Scoring Details for GTR Evolution

Gameplay: 9.0
Featuring a deep and authentic driving experience, Evolution isn’t a full-blown update to the series, but rather adds incremental updates and improvements, including a ton of new cars and realistic tracks to race on. While there are a few shortcomings, including a lack of a career mode and inaccurate vehicle damage, this is still a phenomenal and rewarding driving simulation.

Graphics: 8.5
With authentic vehicle models and great looking environments, GTR Evolution looks great on a wide range of PC configurations.

Sound: 8.0
The soundtrack won’t blow you away, but the on-track sounds are fantastic and immersive.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
While the game isn’t too far removed from SimBin’s other PC offerings, GTR Evolution is a fine and authentic PC racer that will appeal to sim enthusiasts.

Multiplayer: 9.0
The 25-player races are smooth, lag-free, and very easy to get into, making for a fantastic online experience.

Overall: 9.0
GTR Evolution is a fine addition to SimBin’s repertoire of driving sims, offering some great features and unrivaled tracks for fans of authentic racing games.

Free Download and review of Little League World Series 2008

Let's get one thing straight right away. Little League World Series Baseball 2008 has enough depth, strategy, and pure fun for everyone from the most casual baseball fan/gamer to even some more hardcore fans/gamers. It doesn't exactly match up against baseball simulations in terms of depth, but it has enough, and what it lacks in that department, it makes up for in terms of sheer arcade-style fun and enjoyment.

I absolutely love the overall presentation of this game--from the graphics, to the easily navigable menus, it's all very polished and well put together. Now that doesn't mean these graphics are going to compete with any of the high-budget blockbusters. But taken for what they are, which is a cross between cartoon and reality, they're great. They absolutely create the perfect atmosphere for a fun-first baseball game. Speaking of fun-first, in addition to the standard modes (Exhibition, World Series) there are plenty of side attractions, including Homerun Derby, Horse, and even Pitching Darts and Pitching Bowling! These served as enjoyable diversions from the main attraction for me: World Series mode!

World Series mode is what this game is all about. The chance to play in the tournament and win it all! And to do so, you'll have to master all of the gameplay elements, including batting, pitching, throwing, and running. Surprisingly, there is enough depth in each of these elements that a training mode was included to teach you the ropes. It's not absolutely necessary, but it will get you off to a running start if you want to understand how the game works. The batting mechanics are usually of most interest, so I'll start with those. First of all, you can swing at three different angles, downward, upward, or level. This will affect how the ball comes off of the bat, and will lead to either a groundball, flyball, or line drive, and it all depends on the angle at which you swing the Wiimote. Secondly, you can perform either a power swing or a controlled swing based on how hard you swing the Wiimote. Now, either I'm incredibly strong or there's a gameplay issue here, because no matter how lightly I tried to swing, I had a lot of difficulty performing "controlled" swings.

The pitching mechanics are nearly as fun as the batting, which is a good sign for a baseball game. The most exciting part of the pitching is the fact that to throw a curveball, you actually have to spin the Wiimote as you throw. This adds a level of immersion and realism that I certainly appreciate. Now if only there were some way for the Wiimote to detect different grips on the ball... OK maybe that's a bit down the road. Overall, the gameplay doesn't really hit any lulls or snags, and is consistently fun from the time you're at the plate, to the time you're pitching. My one gripe is that I found myself wishing that I could turn off automatic fielding, but that wasn't an option. But once your fielders do reach the ball, it's up to you to throw it to the correct base.

In addition to the basic gameplay mechanics, you can also perform "Talents" by earning points to pump up your talent meter. These talents range from making diving catches, to powering up your batter, to absurdly high-jumping over the catcher. I must say, that last one was not a welcome sight. That's just something you would never see in a baseball game at any level, and it takes the game away from baseball sim perhaps a bit too far. Each team also has one "Star Player" whose talents are above and beyond those of his teammates. The batter for example, when fully charged, can blast a homerun with the greatest of ease. I almost placed this in the "too far" category with jumping over defenders, but I let it slide. It can be somewhat fun knowing that your big bopper is coming up and has the potential to save the day, and it's also somewhat balanced out by the pitcher's talents. Pitchers can throw "The Heat" and Star pitchers can throw an even faster version of this pitch. So when it's clutch time, the pitchers have something up their sleeves as well.

When all is said and done, you'll need those aces up your sleeve, because this game can be tough. Of course, it all depends on which difficulty level you choose to play at (Little, Junior, Senior, Big), but try playing in Senior or Big and you're in for a challenge. This was somewhat surprising, since the game is seemingly targeted towards a younger audience, but I was glad to see a challenge. It only adds to the game's overall worth and replay value when you need to actually improve your skills in order to beat the highest difficulty level.

All in all, Little League World Series Baseball 2008 should provide you with hours of fun. It has enough variety, challenge, and depth to keep you playing, and it's easy enough to pick up and play for just an hour at a time. And perhaps the biggest incentive to keep you playing are the record books and unlockable awards and trophies that you can earn for your clubhouse by dominating the Little League World Series! So swing for the Little League fences and start setting some records!

Review Scoring Details for Little League World Series Baseball 2008

Gameplay: 7.9
Batting, pitching, and throwing are all executed well, leaving almost no dull moments. Details such as the angle of your swing, and the ability to add spin the ball (to throw a curve or slider while pitching) add variety and a new level of depth. That's saying something, because generally we know what to expect from a baseball game. The special abilities are generally interesting and fun, with the exception of high-jumping over the catcher to score a run.

Graphics: 8.5
A semi-cartoonish art style makes this game approachable by everyone from young kids and casual gamers to avid baseball fans and hardcore gamers. It's well done, and while the graphics are not awe-inspiring by any means, they are polished and well executed.

Sound: 7.5
The music, (especially in the training mode!) is upbeat and almost anthemic, and really gets you in the mood for a good game of baseball. The sound effects, particularly the sound of the aluminum bats, are well done and will certainly bring you back to your days on the Little League field.

Difficulty: Medium
There are four difficulty levels in World Series mode: Little, Junior, Senior, and Big. Venture into Senior or Big territory, and you're asking for a whooping. That should be enough to let you know that this game is no joke. Luckily, the developers allow you to pick your difficulty level, or I might have never made it out of the first inning.

Concept: 7.5
A great idea for a baseball game targeted towards younger gamers/baseball fans. What's not such a great idea is releasing the game AFTER the completion of the actual Little League World Series. This title probably would have benefited from the surrounding hype.

Overall: 7.8
What I love about Little League World Series Baseball 2008 is that the games are short enough (6 innings, true to Little League) and fun enough that you can pick this game up and play it time and time again. There are also a variety of modes and unlockable awards that will keep you entertained and provide incentive to kick some Little League butt for a long time to come.

Download And Review Sinking Island

Sinking Island is an adventure game from Benoit Sokal, the creator of Syberia. Sinking Island is no Syberia, however, and while not a bad game, it’s not a game that will stay in anyone’s memory for very long after play has ended.

This is a classic “mystery in a closed room” type of game on the lines of Christie’s And Then There were None. There are ten suspects on a small atoll in the ocean, and one of them is the culprit. As Jack Norm, it’s your job to investigate the murder of the owner of the atoll, and discover whodunit. Similarly to Hercule Poirot’s methods, you will need to use the little grey cells and combine clues and psychology to successfully conclude the case.

Walter Jones was an old geezer, but his demise was still untimely. Someone pushed him off a cliff in his wheelchair and he did not survive the fall. The suspects on the island are members of his family, their significant others and a few employees. As Walter Jones was not a nice person, everyone on the island had a reason for murder.

Sinking Island is an adventure game, but one that is designed as a police procedural, rather like a “Law and Order” game I played several years ago. The alignment with actual police work is tighter, which is intriguing at first. Basically, players will talk to every suspect exhaustively many times, asking them about various other conversations and found clues. All of these items will be kept in a PPA (Personal Police Assistant), which does everything but your laundry. The items can be examined alone and together with other clues, which will elicit new information. These clues are kept on the right side of the PPA, while the left side is for placing items to solve the different “mandates” of the mystery. These mandates are basically items in a task list, to help break up the assignment of solving the murder into manageable pieces.

As mentioned above, at first this looks and sounds pretty neat. However, the PPA soon becomes overly cluttered with a myriad of clues and conversations, which makes it a bit confusing and time consuming to find just the right clues and conversations to place in the left-hand tray and thus solve the mystery. And, even if this does take a bit of time, it’s not difficult. The PPA takes most of the guesswork out of the gruntwork.

I enjoyed the way the Inspector questioned his subjects and the method of interrogation; the items and people he wanted to ask about were in the bottom menu, and players clicked on the different things to ask the questions. Watching the characters during these conversations was a bit odd, though, as no one’s mouth opened while speaking, and they all made the same stiff arm movements while speaking. This stiffness that so often accompanies 3D animations in PC games is the main reason I prefer cartoon animation, which is usually smoother in appearance. However, the characters look very good when they are presented in a stationary manner and aren’t moving.

This is a French game which is translated to English for the North American market. The translation is handled rather badly. The remarks and comments are jarring and sound really strange. The Inspector keeps saying “I’m distracted” when players direct him to talk to someone who has nothing else to say about the murder at the time. Nobody says that. One of the female characters says she had been looking forward to trying out her bikini, but would have to forego that pleasure for now. That sounded really odd when she had just expressed sorrow over her grandfather’s murder. In one conversation one of the grandsons of Walter Jones uses a very crude expression for sex, which again sounded jarring in the context of the conversation he was having with the Inspector. And the excited manner and verbal expressions the male characters use when describing the female suspects to the Inspector, is again, just plain odd.

There are other odd things. The plot centers around the huge tower that Walter Jones had built on this island. Apparently it may cause the island to sink? I’m not sure, but is that possible? It’s not like islands are just pieces of rock floating around the ocean. They’re anchored to the earth. Can something extremely heavy sink an island? I need a smart person to answer that question for me. And, just a thought, if the tower designer was convinced that the tower was unsafe now architecturally, why would he be staying there? I don’t think I would. Suicide by tower?

Apparently, rain has no effect on these people. The storm doesn’t keep anyone inside the building; they love to wander around in the rain. There is no staff in the Tower, which means everyone is fending for his or herself. Yet, people were sitting at the dining room eating what looked like prepared dinners. Maybe they are all good cooks. Another funny thing, during interrogations, characters will say the most awful things about other people to the Inspector, while these people are standing right there while they are speaking.

The voice acting, despite the words coming out of their mouths, is pretty fair. The tones and modulations are handled nicely. The occasional music is muted and low-key. This game should have had much more music to fit the somber and dark mood.

I was prepared to enjoy this game, as I really liked Syberia and thought the police procedural method was a good idea. But, the constant traveling back and forth to question suspects became tiring, and the method of sifting through all the clues to solve each mandate was a chore after awhile. The story could have lifted interest, but the odd conversations with each suspect caused the story to lose appeal. The PPA was a great idea, as well, but in reality it did a bit too much for the players. Overall, Sinking Island is just an average adventure game, not bad, but not all that good, either.

Review Scoring Details for Game Name

Gameplay: 6
The gameplay begins interestingly enough, but soon bogs down into strange and lengthy conversations. The method of using the PPA to solve the crime also seems fun initially, but it’s too easy, and yet at the same time too time-consuming.

Graphics: 7
The game looks pretty good, with nice backgrounds and good details for the environments. The rain, wind and water all look great. The characters are not drawn as well, though, and are stiff and oddly animated while speaking to the Inspector.

Sound: 6
The music is sparse and strangely absent much of the time.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
There isn’t anything that is particularly difficult except for the combining the clues to solve each piece of the mystery.

Concept: 7
Sinking Island has several good concepts, but the execution, while good in a technical sense, doesn’t translate into a lot of enjoyment.

Overall: 6.5
Sinking Island looks good and plays well at first, but the myriad oddities eventually drag the game down. It’s hard to stay immersed in the story, and the methods of solving the mandates become more like chores after awhile than fun things to do. Hopefully, the next game to come from White Birds Production will be more fun.

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free

Telltale Games has made it their mission statement to episodically release hilarious adventure games based on family friendly licenses. After starting with a game based on fan-favorite comic Bone, they made their name with a revival of classic LucasArts adventure game Sam and Max, which recently finished its second season. Soon they’ll be bringing international animation stars Wallace and Gromit to the scene, but currently they’re busy with Strong Bad’s Cool Game 4 Attractive People, based on the perpetually popular www.homestarrunner.com. With the recent release of Episode 2-Strong Badia the Free, Telltale once again proves that they are the first name in adventure gaming today.

Strong Badia the Free picks up more or less where Episode 1, Homestar Ruiner, left off (though having played part one isn’t really required, since SBtF doesn’t require any knowledge of what happened in the first one)—Strong Bad’s finally got his house back to himself, which of course means it’s time to check his email. But before he knows it, Strong Bad’s been hit by an email tax, courtesy of the King of Town, the eccentric, food-obsessed monarch ruler of Free Country, USA. After he escapes from house arrest, Strong Bad secedes, claiming sovereignty in his own country of Strong Badia. This kick-starts a trend, and before long everyone in town has started their own country. It’s up to Strong Bad to unite all these disparate nations under one flag (his) so that he can challenge the King of Town for the position of, well, the King of Town. The story’s got a strong political-parody aspect to it, which might not please everybody, but for my money SBtF is one of the funniest HR stories yet, and that’s counting the original site itself. The game’s story is far better paced than Homestar Ruiner, and has all sorts of neat little touches—like the 1940s newsreel-style cinematics that play whenever you’ve conquered another country, and the hilarious country names that are affixed to each and every location in the game—that really make it memorable.

Strong Bad begins the game as a political prisoner, complete with protesters.

SBtF contains a number of improvements over the first episode. Characters that weren’t really featured in Homestar Ruiner take center stage here, including some of my personal favorites, like Strong Sad, Homsar, and The Cheat. There’s also a much wider variety of side activities to pursue; the black metal detector (which plays a thrashy guitar solo when it’s found something) returns for those who enjoy searching for buried treasure, but you can also look for stuff to burn, discover new insulting nicknames for Strong Sad, and hunt for souvenir flags from each country that joins your empire. You can fire up Strong Bad’s Fun Machine for some time with Math Kickers: Featuring the AlgeBros, a Double Dragon-style beat-em-up where you pound ninjas to solve equations. The Teen Girl Squad minigame returns, this time as Cave Girl Squad, and there are plenty of ridiculous violent concepts to subject the girls to. The real kicker, though, is the ending—without spoiling anything, suffice it to say that the game’s final challenge is different from anything you’ve done up to that point, and completely awesome.

Burning Strong Sad’s stuff is one of Strong Bad’s favorite pastimes.

The episode’s not for everyone, though. While the puzzles are definitely clever (and more smoothly integrated into the scenario than the puzzles in the first episode), they’re also pretty easy. Adventure game veterans looking for a bit more challenge can turn off the in-game hint system (which makes characters drop more clues in dialogue), but even with it off, most of the solutions are either obvious or present themselves with a little searching. Just like Homestar Ruiner, anyone who’s not familiar with Homestar Runner is going to be more than a little lost. Fans will appreciate the fan service that’s plentiful throughout, but it will probably just alienate anyone who tries to play the game without a deep familiarity to the source material. And the minimalist presentation, again, isn’t going to impress anybody unless they can appreciate the simplistic cartoon style of the original site.

This is the “evil overlord” you’re struggling to overthrow.

None of these are flaws, though, really. This game (and the series on the whole) has to be taken for what it is, and that’s a hilarious interactive Homestar Runner cartoon. While not everybody will appreciate that, for those that can, SBtF is a blast, and a great way to spend the four or five hours it’ll take you to complete it. While the first episode fell flat in spots and gave the impression of a series trying to find its feet, as of episode two the series has hit its stride. Strong Badia the Free, like Sam and Max before it, shows that Telltale Games really knows how to craft excellent adventure gaming in afternoon-sized chunks.

Review Scoring Details Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free

Gameplay: 8.5
SBtF uses the same simple-to-understand interface as its predecessor, which is about as streamlined as adventure gaming interfaces get. The puzzles don’t provide a huge challenge, but they are clever enough that you still feel smart when you figure one out. Besides, like everything else in the game, the puzzles lead the way to more jokes, which is really what’s important.

Graphics: 7.6
The developers have definitely nailed the look and feel of the source material. Sure, that means that everything looks like a flash cartoon that was made by two people, but it looks like Homestar Runner, and what more could you ask for?

Sound: 8.4
The voice acting is still spot-on, which makes sense since all the voice actors from the site (both of them) do the voices. The music is amusing and light-hearted throughout, and as always, the music parodies here are brilliant (especially the tune from Strong Sad’s favorite depressing college-rock band, sloshy).

Difficulty: Easy
Even without the in-game hint system, the puzzles are pretty easy, although there are a couple of stumpers in the last few areas. Still, anybody could finish this one in a few hours.

Concept: 8.9
The plot of SBtF is more fitting to video game challenges than Homestar Ruiner was; everything flows more smoothly because of the way the story is constructed. The world and its characters are still perfect fodder for an adventure game.

Overall: 8.7
Homestar Ruiner showed promise; Strong Badia the Free delivers on that promise. With this episode, Strong Bad’s Cool Game 4 Attractive People has gone from niche product to required playing for any fan of adventure gaming.

Free Download Bionic Commando Rearmed

With the recent generation of games consoles, downloading your favorite retro game is as easy as keying in a credit card number and clicking “Buy.” The content was so good this summer that Xbox heralded its recent releases as part of the Summer of Games. A great summer, indeed. One of the best downloadable games ever dropped on both the Xbox Live Market Place and Sony’s PSN Network. Look out Spidey, say hello to our new swingin’ friend.

Bionic Commando was originally the hardest of hardcore platformers from the NES days. Its Contra-like shooter mechanics combined with an interesting swinging mechanic gave the game its very own style. Heck, you couldn’t even jump. Take that Mario.

But this remake by Capcom not only adds new content and graphics, but also maintains what was great about the original. The premise is simple: Super Joe has been captured by some unnamed country (that are known as The Imperials) who are working on something evil. Enter Nathan “Radd” Spencer to save the day. His bionic arm allows him to swing from platform to platform, deflect bullets, and, later in the game, pull enemies close and use them as human shields.

The mechanic is extremely fun and especially rewarding once you master it. There are tons of unlockable goodies, like secret rooms and extra lives, sprinkled throughout levels. And when you master the timing of swinging across spiked floors, robots, and endless chasms, your nimble commando will be rewarded.

The levels are split up into mostly platforming, and a few missions in a isometric 3D environment where you just have to make it to the end and blow up a truck. These 3D missions are the weakest of the game, but also help to relieve some of the extreme tension built up towards the end of the game.

At the end of every level, you’ll face a boss. Every one tests a unique ability of Nathan’s bionic powers. One boss requires you to deflect mechanical arms coming at you from all angles, before swinging up and shooting the operator. All of the bosses require quick relaxes and mastered timing – hard, but rewarding.

That being said, this game is based on trial and error. Something some will love, others will feel to be outdated. What Capcom has preserved, like its predecessor, is the classic difficulty. I commend Capcom for sticking to their guns and keeping this game hard. If you’re going to remake a classic game from the NES days, you better keep its most essential part. If you just played Braid (another XBLA title), then you’ll be wishing you had the rewind button here. You get three lives to do a mission, and if you fail, you have to restart the level: no save checkpoints. Bionic Commando: Trial and Error should have been the subtitle. And while the difficulty does increase towards the end of the game, it also becomes that much more rewarding.

One of my favorite parts of the game, though, is the updated look and the remixed music. The graphics were given an HD overhaul and have come out to be truly remarkable. While it is a 2D platformer, everything else – from character animations to building in the background to boss fights at the end – has been given an elaborate 3D makeover, while still retaining a classic look. Similarly, the music takes the classic 8-bit tunes and turns them into awesome, techno beats.

What is best about this game, though, is the amount of content you get for $10 (that’s right, ten bucks!). After you beat the lengthy single-player campaign (6-10 hours depending on your ability level), there are over 50 challenge rooms that test your swinging skills. Also, there is a two player offline co-op that makes the game just as exciting with a friend to play with, and a four-player versus mode that, while not totally fleshed out, is still an added bonus.

Did I mention that this game has a great sense of humor? It pokes fun at the original game, while showing much respect. Doesn’t that make it the perfect remake? I think so.

Review Scoring Details for Bionic Commando Rearmed

Gameplay: 9.0
Retains the classic gameplay and makes it stronger. Swinging is an absolute blast once you the hang of it, and the upgraded abilities throughout give multiple ways to kill enemies.

Graphics: 10
The visuals are incredible, from background oil rigs to underground furnaces. The boss fights are also very impressive.

Sound: 9.5
The remixed tunes are great and simultaneously retro and hip.

Difficulty: Hard
The increasingly hard difficulty might put some off, but stick with it for a great payoff.

Concept: 10
I only wish more developers would remake games as good as this.

Multiplayer: 8.0
I was not expecting multiplayer at all, but the co-op was another added treat.

Overall: 9.5
Bionic Commando: Rearmed is the perfect remake, retaining all of the things that made the original great, but making those things fresh again. For $10, this game is an absolute steal.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness

You would think that a game about looking after livestock, growing vegetables and working the land with a pickaxe would be incredibly boring but somehow Natsume made a game that makes farm life downright addictively entertaining. The Harvest Moon series has come a long way since its SNES beginnings and, having appeared on most of Nintendo’s different consoles and handhelds, the series continues to bring fans its delightful farming simulator on the Nintendo DS with Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness.

Like past games in the Harvest Moon series, Island of Happiness contains something of a story. You start the game by choosing between a male or female character and following him or her as you board a ship on your way to an unknown destination. Suddenly, a storm tosses the ship around until you are thrown into sea. You wake up to find yourself washed up ashore on a mysterious island that has long been abandoned by its last residents. Yet you are not alone on the island since survivors of the same shipwreck start their new life on the island. Therefore, it is up to you to take control of the island’s only ranch and make it productive once again.

As you work the land, the other survivors form a community that suddenly grows when word gets around that the island has once again become inhabited. Soon enough, the deserted island becomes a thriving village with shops and various citizens. As a farmer, you grow crops and raise livestock so your kindly neighbors can sell what you produce. It’s a rather solitary life of plowing the field, planting various seeds and tending to the animals, you’ll procure from the livestock store. Thankfully, the island comes with helpful sprites and even a pond that happens to be home to a Harvest Goddess that will lend you a hand if you make the right offering.

Island of Happiness doesn’t do anything completely new to the series so veteran Harvest Moon fans will find returning favorite features such as a farm chores, community interaction and even finding that special someone to marry and start a family with when farm life becomes to overwhelming. The only difference between playing as a male or female character is the choices of mates. Of course, if you play as a male, you will get a choice of six different island girls to try to woo and if you play as a girl, you will try to make impression on eligible bachelors. You’ll be offering potential mates presents and going out with them during seasonal events in order to marry them and - later - have children that will inherit the farm.

As I mentioned earlier, gamers new to the series might think that pulling out weeds and clearing debris to plant and then water seeds might seem like a real snooze but it’s actually a surprisingly entertaining simulation of farm life. This formula worked for past Harvest Moon games and it does so on the Nintendo DS with the only exception that the controls just don’t work at all. Island of Happiness utilizes the bottom touch screen for character movement and while that might sound like a brilliant idea it just doesn’t work. You move your character by dragging the Stylus in the direction you would like to move and this makes for some rather clumsy and frustrating movements. Imagine trying to get to a certain spot on time only taking a lot longer thanks to the fact that you have to drag your character around slowly and you’ll see how frustrating movement can be in this game.

Picking up objects and planting crops are also awkward mainly because you have to tap the object or plot where you would like to plant with the Stylus. The touch screen mini-games fair a bit better during certain events but other than that the controls hold back the fun considerably. Unfortunately, there is no control option that switches the controls to the D-pad so you are stuck with the touch screen actions. What the game does right is the Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to go online and compete against other farmers in the game. Other than that, it’s clear that Natsume has a long way to go in making the Harvest Moon series work for the DS.

On the visual front, the game looks decent enough and retains that old school quality of past games in the series. Now, this isn’t a bad thing but change is definitely something that should be considered seeing as the DS is more than capable of displaying some impressive graphics. Still, the backgrounds remain colorful and the characters are still cute as a button. The game’s soundtrack is still lively and this time around the sound effects are nicely detailed to the point that you’ll make out every sound around you.

As a big fan of Natsume’s Harvest Moon series, Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS is a major disappointment. We can forgive the fact that the game hasn’t changed much - even on a new handheld platform - but we can’t forgive the awful touch-screen controls or lack of innovative touches that could have made this Harvest Moon a delightful treat for DS owners. Alas, there’s very little here to recommend to any loyal fan of this beloved series. Here’s hoping the next offering will be a lot better than this on the DS.

Review Scoring Details for Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness

Gameplay: 5.5
On paper the touch-screen controls sound like a great idea but they are not implemented well here. In fact, movement becomes rather irritatingly clumsy to the point that you’ll take longer to do most of your chores than usual. All of the usual Harvest Moon goodies are present and accounted for in Island Happiness.

Graphics: 6.0
Visually, the game isn’t bad to look at but this game could have looked a lot better considering the fact that the DS can display some impressive graphics. The dated visuals might still look cute and colorful but we would have appreciated some updated graphics for the DS.

Sound: 6.5
The game’s sound does a great job of placing you in a farm with all those animal sounds and the nightly cricket chirps. Even the soundtrack is endearing and doesn’t get old despite the fact that it recycles itself. I wish there were voices to accompany the characters’ dialogue, though.

Difficulty: Medium
Taking care of a farm and the livestock is no small task and the fact that you’ll be performing a slew of chores makes your daily life seem very full. Growing crops and taking care of your animals is a challenge but not as much as finding a mate and keeping him or her happy.

Concept: 5.5
While it’s quite demanding, the farming life is still downright fun and satisfying. There are some good characters to interact with and courting the opposite sex to start your own family is back again. Unfortunately, the touch screen actions are horrible and distract from what could have been yet another good entry in the series.

Multiplayer: 5.0
Through a Wi-Fi connection you can go online to see how well you do against other players as well as compete against another player for pure bragging rights.

Overall: 5.5
Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness is not an unplayable game by any means but the horrible controls simply keep it from being a fun game. If you can look past the flawed touch screen controls, there is a fun farming simulator that isn’t short on all the things we love about the Harvest Moon series.

Download Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness

You would think that a game about looking after livestock, growing vegetables and working the land with a pickaxe would be incredibly boring but somehow Natsume made a game that makes farm life downright addictively entertaining. The Harvest Moon series has come a long way since its SNES beginnings and, having appeared on most of Nintendo’s different consoles and handhelds, the series continues to bring fans its delightful farming simulator on the Nintendo DS with Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness.

Like past games in the Harvest Moon series, Island of Happiness contains something of a story. You start the game by choosing between a male or female character and following him or her as you board a ship on your way to an unknown destination. Suddenly, a storm tosses the ship around until you are thrown into sea. You wake up to find yourself washed up ashore on a mysterious island that has long been abandoned by its last residents. Yet you are not alone on the island since survivors of the same shipwreck start their new life on the island. Therefore, it is up to you to take control of the island’s only ranch and make it productive once again.

As you work the land, the other survivors form a community that suddenly grows when word gets around that the island has once again become inhabited. Soon enough, the deserted island becomes a thriving village with shops and various citizens. As a farmer, you grow crops and raise livestock so your kindly neighbors can sell what you produce. It’s a rather solitary life of plowing the field, planting various seeds and tending to the animals, you’ll procure from the livestock store. Thankfully, the island comes with helpful sprites and even a pond that happens to be home to a Harvest Goddess that will lend you a hand if you make the right offering.

Island of Happiness doesn’t do anything completely new to the series so veteran Harvest Moon fans will find returning favorite features such as a farm chores, community interaction and even finding that special someone to marry and start a family with when farm life becomes to overwhelming. The only difference between playing as a male or female character is the choices of mates. Of course, if you play as a male, you will get a choice of six different island girls to try to woo and if you play as a girl, you will try to make impression on eligible bachelors. You’ll be offering potential mates presents and going out with them during seasonal events in order to marry them and - later - have children that will inherit the farm.

As I mentioned earlier, gamers new to the series might think that pulling out weeds and clearing debris to plant and then water seeds might seem like a real snooze but it’s actually a surprisingly entertaining simulation of farm life. This formula worked for past Harvest Moon games and it does so on the Nintendo DS with the only exception that the controls just don’t work at all. Island of Happiness utilizes the bottom touch screen for character movement and while that might sound like a brilliant idea it just doesn’t work. You move your character by dragging the Stylus in the direction you would like to move and this makes for some rather clumsy and frustrating movements. Imagine trying to get to a certain spot on time only taking a lot longer thanks to the fact that you have to drag your character around slowly and you’ll see how frustrating movement can be in this game.

Picking up objects and planting crops are also awkward mainly because you have to tap the object or plot where you would like to plant with the Stylus. The touch screen mini-games fair a bit better during certain events but other than that the controls hold back the fun considerably. Unfortunately, there is no control option that switches the controls to the D-pad so you are stuck with the touch screen actions. What the game does right is the Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to go online and compete against other farmers in the game. Other than that, it’s clear that Natsume has a long way to go in making the Harvest Moon series work for the DS.

On the visual front, the game looks decent enough and retains that old school quality of past games in the series. Now, this isn’t a bad thing but change is definitely something that should be considered seeing as the DS is more than capable of displaying some impressive graphics. Still, the backgrounds remain colorful and the characters are still cute as a button. The game’s soundtrack is still lively and this time around the sound effects are nicely detailed to the point that you’ll make out every sound around you.

As a big fan of Natsume’s Harvest Moon series, Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS is a major disappointment. We can forgive the fact that the game hasn’t changed much - even on a new handheld platform - but we can’t forgive the awful touch-screen controls or lack of innovative touches that could have made this Harvest Moon a delightful treat for DS owners. Alas, there’s very little here to recommend to any loyal fan of this beloved series. Here’s hoping the next offering will be a lot better than this on the DS.

Review Scoring Details for Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness

Gameplay: 5.5
On paper the touch-screen controls sound like a great idea but they are not implemented well here. In fact, movement becomes rather irritatingly clumsy to the point that you’ll take longer to do most of your chores than usual. All of the usual Harvest Moon goodies are present and accounted for in Island Happiness.

Graphics: 6.0
Visually, the game isn’t bad to look at but this game could have looked a lot better considering the fact that the DS can display some impressive graphics. The dated visuals might still look cute and colorful but we would have appreciated some updated graphics for the DS.

Sound: 6.5
The game’s sound does a great job of placing you in a farm with all those animal sounds and the nightly cricket chirps. Even the soundtrack is endearing and doesn’t get old despite the fact that it recycles itself. I wish there were voices to accompany the characters’ dialogue, though.

Difficulty: Medium
Taking care of a farm and the livestock is no small task and the fact that you’ll be performing a slew of chores makes your daily life seem very full. Growing crops and taking care of your animals is a challenge but not as much as finding a mate and keeping him or her happy.

Concept: 5.5
While it’s quite demanding, the farming life is still downright fun and satisfying. There are some good characters to interact with and courting the opposite sex to start your own family is back again. Unfortunately, the touch screen actions are horrible and distract from what could have been yet another good entry in the series.

Multiplayer: 5.0
Through a Wi-Fi connection you can go online to see how well you do against other players as well as compete against another player for pure bragging rights.

Overall: 5.5
Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness is not an unplayable game by any means but the horrible controls simply keep it from being a fun game. If you can look past the flawed touch screen controls, there is a fun farming simulator that isn’t short on all the things we love about the Harvest Moon series.