No More Heroes
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action
Publisher: Ubisoft
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Grade: 5 stars
The Wii has fewer than 10 games in the Mature category, so your options are limited, but when a game like No More Heroes arrives, you suddenly realize that quantity is far outpaced by quality.
From the makers of the groundbreaking and visually engaging Killer7 comes a similarly bizarre story about a young man who buys a lightsaber-wannabe online and gets wrapped up in a story that is beyond eccentric but absolutely hilarious and brutal all at once. The plot itself is too convoluted to explain, but the action and gameplay is easy to grasp and sets the right tone.
Using a solid mix of button-mashing and Wii-sensitive controls, you will spend a lot of your time making a bloodbath of the city you’re in. If you loved the pivotal scene in Tarantino’s handiwork in Kill Bill Vol. 1, get ready to gleefully recreate it throughout this game.
From the stylized graphic design to the action that is relentless, and capped off by boss battles which are really unique and entertaining, what you have here is a game that can easily be placed in the top echelon of Wii games. Lose yourself in its absurdity and have a blast.
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin Platform: DS
Genre: Strategy
Publisher: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Grade: 3.5 stars
It’s fascinating to see a franchise mature over time, and in the case of Advance Wars, this series pumps out a new title every two years. But with days of Ruin there is a markedly new tone, a shift to the darker side as the story and visuals depict a bleaker environment than the more colorful and playful approach in previous versions.
This turn-based strategy series has been a staple in strategy genre for the Game Boy/DS arsenal since 2001, and a main factor is its accessibility. Just about anyone can dive right in and play, whether you have strategy experience or not. Days of Ruin makes this a tad more complicated because the difficulty level is much higher so some may feel overwhelmed. Moving units around and engaging in battles will feel familiar, while adapting to the new environments and some new weaponry that are introduced may be a bit more cumbersome than what fans are used to.
One of the best features is the multiplayer, where you can battle online and also access tons of maps (a map editor is even available, to share custom maps). In addition to the single-player campaign, this is one of the deepest DS games on the market. Fans will find a shock in the more mature edition of the Advance Wars saga, but it’s definitely a game not to be missed.
Atari Classics Evolved
Platform: PSP
Genre: Compilation
Publisher: Atari
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Grade: 1.5 star
Of the many great things in D.C. is that various local pubs have installed classic arcade games for a bit of nostalgia. It’s fun to randomly challenge a friend to an old game of Centipede or Missile Command, and it’s even better to play these on the old game cabinets that only accept quarters and remind you of full-scale arcades back in the ‘80s.
This feeling is even more pronounced when you attempt these games on the PSP in Atari Classics Evolved. Not that this compilation is completely terrible, but it definitely has i
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