Never Unplaying Game of the Year 2008

Never Unplaying isn’t made up of a pool of editor’s that take weeks to critique a year’s worth of games and make a ton of awards that span thousands of games. I’m one person and play what I like and rent what I think I might like. At the end of every year, I play everything I played throughout the year and decide my personal Game of the Year. I take it pretty seriously actually.

Past Game of the Years include both new games and traditional games. Last year, my Game of the Year was Picross DS, a simple puzzle game for the Nintendo DS. Why the nod for the award? I spent most of the year playing it, and I played it every night. It stimulated my brain before sleep and I dreamt a ton more. It was, in my opinion, a perfect puzzle game. Great interface, precise controls, thousands of puzzles, downloadable content, and user generated content. The cool part is that all of Picross DS’s features are nicely wrapped up in a $20 price tag.

The 2006 Game of the Year proved that something more traditional can win people over. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess got the Game of the Year 2006 for many reasons. First and foremost, Zelda is one of my favorite series of all time. The series is so good that only two hated Zeldas come to mind: Zelda 2 for the NES and Phantom Hourglass on the DS. Twilight Princess did what fans wanted and gave us an Ocarina of Time clone, but with better art direction, story and a staggering 50 hour long adventure. It is still my favorite game in this generation so far.

With those two examples said, it’s time to announce the Game of the Year. It’s a game that very few would put on their list. It’s also not a high profile game like Grand Theft Auto 4, Metal Gear Solid 4, Fallout 3 or Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nope, it’s Tales of Vesperia for the Xbox 360.



Tradition rules 2008 since Vesperia is the second Tales game to be my Game of the Year. The first was the 2004 GameCube hit, Tales of Symphonia. I was still a bit green in the Japanese RPG’s back then and only having Nintendo systems at the time limited access to them outside the first party Pokemon and Mario RPG’s. Then came Namco and its juggernaut RPG and all of a sudden, a whole new genre opened for me. Sadly no one has beaten Symphonia in my eyes since, but few have come close. Three come to mind: Dragon Quest VIII, Eternal Sonata and finally Tales of Vesperia.

Tales of Vesperia starts off with a man named Yuri Lowell, an ex-knight who lives in the slummier sections of the capitol city of Zaphias. He’s the Robin Hood of games; he beats on knight collecting taxes to protect the people around him. He gets thrown in the slammer after breaking into the house of a thief of a device that supplied the slums’ water. Yuri breaks out and saves a noble girl who is friends with Yuri’s best friend. They set off finding the friend named Flynn and triggers the huge seventy-plus hour adventure of Tales of Vesperia.

Tales of Vesperia refines all the great things of the “Tales” series, from the unique battle system to the anime-inspired visuals. The game outside of battle plays like any normal JRPG, explore a world map between detailed towns and monster-filled dungeons. Inside battle though, it’s unlike most RPG’s. Namco needlessly calls it the "Evolved Flex-Range Linear Motion Battle System" (EFR-LMBS for short), but its fancy name is only a name.
What it is though, is an exciting, fast-paced, and fluid battle system. The closest comparison would be that it feels like a fighting game mixed with special attacks and item usage.

Possibly the best part about the game is the cast. Most JRPG’s usually have a diverse cast to relate to, but Vesperia’s cast of characters are extremely memorable and a blast to play with. From the badass Yuri to the hot-headed Rita to the perverted Raven; the party consisted of triple-A personalities with better-than-expected voice acting. A great cast is supported by a great story, and while Vesperia’s story doesn’t break much new ground, it still satisfies thanks to the colorful characters. It’s hard to let go of the controller once a player gets knee deep into the game.


(Image from IGN.com)

Tales of Vesperia didn’t win because it was something I never saw before; it won because it took a successful formula and tweaked it for a new generation. The game looks stunning, plays well and is a blast to experience. Sadly, Vesperia is like all the games I liked in 2008; it was good, but nothing overly impressed me. Only thing I liked were games from existing franchises; from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Gears of War 2, Fable 2 and the winner: Tales of Vesperia. Though these games are great, it was hard picking a winner due to nothing feeling fresh. So don’t think of last year as a year of innovation, because there was none. It was just a fair year full of easy expectations and the same old thing.

(It's like I planned on doing it the on Inauguration Day or something)


(Image from IGN.com)

Top 20 Countdown

1/2- Disgaea DS is the first to go!
1/3- Valkyria Chronicles is next!
1/4- Civilization Revolution is out!
1/5- Wario Land is outta here!
1/6- Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is gone!
1/7- Apollo has blasted off!
1/8- Another bad play on words arrives when the Prince cannot be king in this competition!
1/9- It pains me to take out Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. It's getting harder and harder now.
1/10- Professor Layton has dropped out!
1/11- Left 4 Dead was.... left for dead?
1/12- Okami is walking with her tail between her legs.
1/13- Persona 4 is Personout! (Wow I hate myself for that)
1/14- No More Heroes is no more!
1/15- Gears of War 2 is curbstomped!
1/16- Fable 2 is gone. Only a few more!
1/17- Chrono Trigger's time has run out
1/18- Snake? Snake! SNAAAAAAAAAAAAKE! MS4 and the last PS3 game is out!
1/19- The World Ends with You's run has ended. Two are left: Brawl versus Vesperia. Almost there!
1/20- Brawl is KO'ed!

2009 Predictions

We all know that 2009 will be a tough year. A struggling economy mixed with a questionable year for games will make all developers, journalists and gamers decide some very tough decisions. Only a few days in and this year already claimed a victim with Ziff Davis' Electronic Gaming Monthly and 1UP.com.

That's a reason why there are less predictions for this year. This is such a difficult year that anything can happen. The 2008 predictions were fairly easy and tons of good content was on its way. This year I wouldn't be surprised if Sony merged with Tomy and became Tony with some cartoon Italian guy for the logo. This year was harder to predict, the industry has really gone in weird directions. So anything's possible, and here's my version for anything:



1) Top selling game of 2009? Wii Play. Expect Wii Sports Resort up there too.

2) Highest rated game of 2009? Killzone 2? Resident Evil 5? The Conduit? Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2? Probably not, it’ll be something smaller. That goes double to my personal Game of the Year 2009.

3) I keep thinking the PS3 will do better and the Wii to do worse, and time after time I’m wrong. So I’ll predict it again. The Wii will still sell the most but not as much as the stellar 2008 sales (Two million in one month?! Really?). The PS3 didn’t fare so well this year but I predict it’ll sell better than it did ion 2008. The 360 will remain in the middle and keep a similar trend like it has before. 2008 it went Wii, DS, 360, PSP, PS3. However in 2009, it’ll go Wii, DS, 360, PS3, PSP.

4) I put PSP in last for a reason. Expect that downward trend continuing.

5) Sony will probably discontinue the 80GB and 160 GB models for some other models again. But expect a decent price drop too.

6) In America, DSi won’t be as popular as it is in Japan. If Nintendo continues the Lite model, expect that to sell more. It’s not as casual friendly and hardcore gamers either a) Already has a Lite or b) hate the fact it has no GBA slot or c) hate it because it does not enough DSi content to factor a purchase.

7) Lots of popular studios have gone down lately. Factor-5 (Star Wars GCN games, Lair), Black Box (Need for Speed) and Free Radical (Ex-Rare employees, Timesplitters, Haze) have all closed doors. Expect more studios to shut down in this fashion.

8) The PSP is selling decently, but not much is coming out for the platform. Other than the bigger games like Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Madden 2010, don’t expect much from it.

9) I just read the latest Nintendo Power and saw Ubisoft’s new TMNT article and got a little excited, but I predict the game will not be the best it could have been. Regardless that it’s developed by Game Arts (Grandia, Super Smash Bros Brawl) and former members of Team Ninja (Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden).

10) Microsoft is pretty mysterious for 2009, not much was announced for them outside Halo 3: ODST and Halo Wars. Expect the poorest first party lineup from Microsoft since the 360’s launch. Like Nintendo was in 2008. Makes you wonder if Alan Wake will be focused on and actually release.

11) Nintendo needs to prove themselves this year. Their top selling games are older games like Wii Play, New Super Mario Bros and Nintendogs. New stuff needs to come out to refresh gamers, both casual and hardcore. A new Zelda will finally be announced (not released) this year and will probably be the sole hardcore game while a sole casual hit (Wii Sports Resort most likely) will sell like crazy. Sin and Punishment 2 will probably do decent but will only sell to fans on the first. Casual-wise, expect more DS “Tools” like Personal Trainer: Cooking mixed with a new Brain game. Even with a Zelda announcement, don’t expect much from them once more.

12) Let’s focus on Square-Enix. Final Fantasy XIII won’t come out in 2009 in America but will in Japan at the end of the year. Dragon Quest IX will be released in both territories in 2009 and Dragon Quest X won’t touch 2009 in either territory. Outside Star Ocean 4, don’t expect a ton this year from Square-Enix.

13) EA has redeemed themselves to core gamers. Before, EA were nothing but sports and licensed games and their quality has been degrading year after year. However in 2008, we’ve seen hit after hit from them. Great new IP’s like Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge launched. Their established franchises like Burnout Paradise and Battlefield: Bad Company were impressive. EA Sports has done wonders with Madden NFL 2009, FIFA Soccer 2009, Tiger Woods 2009 All-Play and NHL 2009. EA has even been pushing Wii efforts like Boom Blox and Facebreaker KO Party. You would think they could do no wrong, but they have been tanking thanks to lack of earnings versus the spending to make these awesome games. They had to cut 10% of their workforce and close studios like Black Box. So what’s their 2009 lineup? A lot less. EA Sports will be the same as always, but not much in games like Dead Space will come out. Heck, other than Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings Conquest, Skate 2 and the 2010 Sports lineup, EA doesn’t have much of a lineup.

14) …Which sounds like it’ll happen to Sega and its Wii projects. Sega has scored publishing rights to the Conduit and Mad World while publishing The House of the Dead Overkill. These three Wii games are some of the most hardcore efforts to the Wii’s lineup. Sadly without a killer marketing strategy set up, these three games will not do well on shelves. Best case scenario would be 300,000 copies sold each. Though Sega’s fourth Wii game, Sonic and the Black Knight, will probably sell more then those three. On Sega’s 360/PS3 front: Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection will do great while Alien: Colonial Marines will do mediocre, and not much else. No other Sonic game will be released on any platform this year.

15) Now my E3 prediction. It’s back to normal and I expect Nintendo will win it this year. In 2006, Nintendo adapted to the killer show and made an excellent showing for the Wii’s debut. The next two years were the reformatted E3, and Nintendo reformatted as well. Frankly, both sucked. Now with E3 back to normal, Nintendo should too. Though I doubt most they announce won’t hit this year. Sony has done pretty well with E3 but I see the least amount of content from them. Microsoft has dominated the last E3 but expect a lamer show from them this year.

16) Lastly, my bold prediction. If Microsoft wants to continue their positive trend for their scarce 2009, they need something big. It’s a big third party exclusive. Or one that Microsoft will take over as publisher.

...And that's Never Unplaying's predictions for 2009. Not as much as last year's, but its beefier. The extra detail makes it harder for the 100% true.

Happy New Year! GotY Noiminations

Happy New Year from Never Unplaying and I hope you have an excellent 2009. This was a pretty good year for games from start to end. From No More Heroes in January all the way to Prince of Persia in December, quality's been pretty steady. Hopefully 2009 will be no different.

Now to business, like I said earlier in the month, I've taken any free time I had to replaying (or starting) all the games I loved throughout the year. Now that I mostly have, I'm ready to give out nominations to what I believe will be Never Unplaying's Game of the Year. It starts with 20 Nominations and I'll pick them off one by one until only a winner remains. And here they are from order of release:

No More Heroes (Wii) – An extremely fun and brutal action from the guys behind the sleeper hit Killer 7. It’s funny, pretty and completely unique.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo DS) - Superb production values for a DS game mixed with excellent brainteasers make this one of the best handheld game all year.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS) – The fourth part of the cleverly written point and click suspense series. Apollo continues it with a brand new cast several years later.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) – The highest anticipated Wii game launches with a robust balanced roster, the best visuals on the console and thousands of hours of fun.

Okami (Wii) – The Wii port of my runner up of Game of the Year 2006. This time for the Wii, the console that Okami felt natural in the first place.

The World Ends With You (Nintendo DS) – Jupiter’s next DS hit after Picross DS: last year’s GotY. Located in Shibuya, it focuses on Japanese pop culture. Mix some unique and fun battle mechanics that uses all the DS’s functionality, this is a mega hit DS game.

Metal Gear Solid 4 (PlayStation 3) – With extraordinary graphics, art, sound and story, MGS4 ties up the hundreds of loose ends of the convoluted story that won the hearts of millions.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (Nintendo DS) – The return to Ivalice brings back tried and true gameplay to the sequel of the addicting 2003 Game Boy Advance hit.

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution (Xbox 360) – Addicting. CivRev is a surprise hit that takes a beloved PC series and modifies it enough to make a stellar console game. The play style is like a western tactical RPG.

Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360) – What makes a stellar RPG? Characters to fall in love with mixed with a little bit of an awesome story of course! Add the dependable Tales battle system and the answer’s simple: it’s a fantastic RPG. It’s pretty too.

Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii) – Every 2-D action game needs to adopt this art style. Wario has some fluid sprite animation that’s been unseen in games before it. Console 2-D platformers are a rarity nowadays and it’s something that needs to be resurrected.

Disgaea DS (Nintendo DS) – My 2003’s GotY arrived on the DS and didn’t come alone. Etna’s second storyline from the PSP version tagged along with extra playable characters. The best version of a personal favorite.

Fable 2 (Xbox 360) – What the first Fable should have been. A world thick with life and beauty, and all the options are open. Just remember that some choices aren’t as easy as others.

Valkyria Chronicles (PlayStation 3) – Gorgeous watercolor visual style is nice to look at while playing this enjoyable tactical RPG. The alternate World War 2 story is a nice change of pace (In RPG’s, not games in general. Like FPS’s).

Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360) – The second Gears of War expands from the original with an engrossing campaign worthy of replaying and Horde Mode. The beauty of fighting waves in Horde Mode.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii) – The sequel to the 2004 GotY returns players to the land they loved in 2004 with a new storyline a few years later.

Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360) – Possibly the best co-op shooter out there. There are only four short campaigns, but what’s great is that it plays different every time. The one-of-a-kind versus is a great touch too.

Chrono Trigger (Nintendo DS) – It’s one of the best 16-bit games. It’s one of the best RPG’s in existence. It’s now on the Nintendo DS.

Prince of Persia (Xbox 360) – Take the acrobatics of the series and make your own path out of it. Great step up on gameplay from the Sands of Time trilogy with a new sarcastic Prince wrapped in a wonderful art style.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (PlayStation 2) – The PS2 is going out with style. The Shin Megami games aren’t my thing, but Persona 4’s story made me a believer in the series.

One day at a time you’ll see a game drop from the list and in the end, you’ll see our lone Game of the Year. This is a difficult year, a lot of great games came out, but not one had the power to be a total winner. It has been difficult choosing.




Also the predictions of 2009 will be shown next week.

PS. Thank goodness I beat Tales of Vesperia last night because 2008 isn't the only thing that ended on December 31st. For the record, my next Xbox 360 will be my 6th.

2008 Predictions Revisited

It's fun being a psychic. Looking into a crystal ball, viewing the fate of your visitor. It'd be nice to know how your year will end, because I wouldn't have guessed that I created a blog called Never Unplaying. Now that I have it, I can use my predictions here!

Well, it's the end of the year and I usually cap it off with revisiting the predictions I made the previous January. It's been my second year doing this and I gotta tell, it's fun! I encourage all of you to do things like these to make life just that more interesting. I have to admit when something happens to make my prediction come true, I get very excited. Let's just get right to it by showing you what was the predictions I made 11 months ago. Let's just hope nothing happens in the next 2 weeks to make anything else come true/false.


1) Let’s start off with a 2009 release calendar. This stars Resident Evil 5 and Final Fantasy XIII.

2) In terms of sales, it’ll keep the current trend: Wii, 360 then PS3. DS will still outsell all 3 of them though. Seems like there’s little reason to change, but I will say that PS3 will do better than it 2006 and 7 slump.

3) After seeing Bioware Pandemic getting bought out by EA and Activision-Blizzard forming, this trend won’t end. I can see a new merger or buyout this year. Of course this is too vague, since this is actually common, Sega Sammy, Square-Enix and Bandai Namco tells us that. So I’ll say…. Either Tecmo or Ubisoft. I also wonder about Atari too and their struggling…

4) Monolithsoft, maker of Xenosaga, was purchased by Nintendo in 2007 after being a part of Namco. They will finally reveal something about Disaster: Day of Crisis, either info or cancellation.

5) Sony will continue the strong first party lineup (Killzone 2, White Knight and Resistance 2? I got this one in the bag). But I’ll revise what I said last year: Sony will make a strong push on Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4.

6) Call of Duty 5 will be announced if not released this year. It was announced earlier that it’s developed by Treyarch, who made the disappointing Call of Duty 3. Expect more of that trend by them. I’m gonna wait for 6!

7) As we can see, the Virtual Console has trimmed to 2 per week. Expect more of that, especially when WiiWare launches. Another problem is that they’re running out of classics. Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario RPG and Super Mario Kart and the N64 Mario spinoffs are the last big Mario games left and Majora’s Mask is the last Zelda. Expect them to launch this year with addition to more consoles added. I see Game Boy getting added too. Doubt they’d be cheaper than 5 bucks.

8) Xbox Live Arcade will see more big titles. Seeing games like Ikaruga, Trigger Heart and Castlevania is a great sight, and let’s see more! What games though? I see a Dreamcast game….. at least ANOTHER Dreamcast game (Ikaruga and Trigger Heart are DC games)

9) On the heels of Smash Bros’ delay, what other games will see that? I expect GTA4 not hitting this half of the year as well as Mario Kart, Ninja Gaiden 2 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. These games have a spring 08 date.

10) Wii needs more hardcore games. I hope to see some this year. But how will Nintendo feel about making them anymore? Zelda and Metroid did good, but not as well as hoped in the end (one million ain’t enough on these hit franchises). Capcom will be one to deliver on that, I can see that. Note: This does not count Harvey Birdman, Wii Love Golf and Okami, I’m talking about an unannounced game. Can I see a third Resident Evil game on Wii? Yes.

11) Speaking of which, Mario was done twice, Zelda was done, Metroid was done and Smash is soon. So what’s up Nintendo’s sleeve this year this fall other than Mario Kart? Mario Party 9, Starfox, Animal Crossing and a new Wii-whatever game. Will that be enough to outsell any big game on the other platforms?

12) Speaking of which again, 360 games of 2008? What will beat Halo, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, Assassin’s Creed and Orange Box? Too Human will be there with this GTA 4 and Call of Duty 5. Microsoft will announce a title that’ll be their big fall game: Gears of War 2.

13) And Lastly, the DS? New Super Mario Bros 2, Brain Age 3 and at least an announcement of the third Pokemon to complete the Diamond and Pearl series. Like the equivalent to Pokemon Yellow, Crystal and Emerald. I can also see Gold and Silver remade. For Third Parties, Castlevania, Sonic Chronicles and a ton of casual games.

14) Another PS3 exclusive will be lost to the 360 and/or PC. I mean a decent game here, too. But I think the same will go the other way too.

15) After playing Unreal Tourney 3 on PS3, I can say with confidence, the 360 port won’t nearly be as great, but sell the most in the end.

16) I’m a Sonic fan so I’ll personally focus on him here. With Riders 2’s release and Chronicles’ announcement, we ask about what’ll be next. Sega Superstars Tennis will probably be average, while an announcement of the next Sonic game on Wii and Rush 3 on DS will be announced. 360 and PS3? Something.

17) A 2D Metroid game will be announced this year. I hope to see the Metroid Dread name stick though. I won’t name a platform though, Wii, WiiWare or DS, it’s all game.

18) New Castlevania for DS I already said, but I can see one on either 360/PS3 or Wii exclusive.

19) Other than RE4 and Okami, Wii will see another Wiimake of a very popular game. This time, someone other than Capcom.

20) A Wii headset will also be announced. And you really thought Smash’s delay was a bad thing.

21) This year’s E3 will be a lot better than last year’s. In both format being back at LA and press conferences by the console manufacturers. No GamePro Expo this year I bet.

22) Wii had some great games this year. Sadly, it also had A LOT of crap. I mean a lot. I really think that’ll change. I mean there’s gonna be some, but overall, it’ll be better. Ironically even though the PS3 had nothing but 360 ports and Sony games, overall the PS3 had quality titles and a decent overall quality with all of them combined. That’ll also change, but the other way.

23) As my last one, I’ll be brave again. Failed last year, but what the hell. Microsoft has Zune and the PSP doubles as an MP3 player, where’s Nintendo’s answer? Well we’ll see it this year(MacWorld ended, so the words iPod wont pass though my lips, sadly).


Now let's see how accurate I was. I judge them in four ways: True, mostly, kinda and wrong.


1) Let’s start off with a 2009 release calendar. This stars Resident Evil 5 and Final Fantasy XIII.

True I think. RE5 is in March and FFXIII is whenever the heck Square-Enix decides to finish it.

2) In terms of sales, it’ll keep the current trend: Wii, 360 then PS3. DS will still outsell all 3 of them though. Seems like there’s little reason to change, but I will say that PS3 will do better than it 2006 and 7 slump.

Kinda. Wii dominated, even beating DS. 360 did do better than the PS3. PS3 did a bit better in the first half, but worse in the later months.

3) After seeing Bioware Pandemic getting bought out by EA and Activision-Blizzard forming, this trend won’t end. I can see a new merger or buyout this year. Of course this is too vague, since this is actually common, Sega Sammy, Square-Enix and Bandai Namco tells us that. So I’ll say…. Either Tecmo or Ubisoft. I also wonder about Atari too and their struggling…

True. Tecmo said no to a Square-Enix buyout so they can merge with Koei. Square’s after Eidos now… they wanna spend money.

4) Monolithsoft, maker of Xenosaga, was purchased by Nintendo in 2007 after being a part of Namco. They will finally reveal something about Disaster: Day of Crisis, either info or cancellation.

True. Disaster was released in Japan and Europe with lukewarm reception.

5) Sony will continue the strong first party lineup (Killzone 2, White Knight and Resistance 2? I got this one in the bag). But I’ll revise what I said last year: Sony will make a strong push on Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4.

Mostly. They didn’t push GTA as much as I expected, but pushed MGS4 as if it was a Sony game. Their first party lineup was great with Resistance 2 and LittleBig Planet, but neither are hitting 7 digit sales as they wanted. Killzone and White Knight didn’t hit 2008 in America. White Knight is hitting Japan on Christmas Day and expected to do fairly well.

6) Call of Duty 5 will be announced if not released this year. It was announced earlier that it’s developed by Treyarch, who made the disappointing Call of Duty 3. Expect more of that trend by them. I’m gonna wait for 6!

True, Treyarch's World at War hit with good sales and Modern Warfare 2 was recently announced by Infinity Ward.

7) As we can see, the Virtual Console has trimmed to 2 per week. Expect more of that, especially when WiiWare launches. Another problem is that they’re running out of classics. Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario RPG and Super Mario Kart and the N64 Mario spinoffs are the last big Mario games left and Majora’s Mask is the last Zelda. Expect them to launch this year with addition to more consoles added. I see Game Boy getting added too. Doubt they’d be cheaper than 5 bucks.

Mostly. No Game Boy but yes to Master System. Only Mario RPG hit from the titles listed above since WiiWare is doing very well. Games like World of Goo, Mega Man 9 and Strong Bad’s episodic adventures are great. Surprisingly Secret of Mana hit the VC.

8) Xbox Live Arcade will see more big titles. Seeing games like Ikaruga, Trigger Heart and Castlevania is a great sight, and let’s see more! What games though? I see a Dreamcast game….. at least ANOTHER Dreamcast game (Ikaruga and Trigger Heart are DC games)

Kinda. Don’t believe any Dreamcast games were announced. Seeing the XBLA fill with Street Fighter II HD Remix, Castle Crashers and Banjo Kazooie were a nice sight though.

9) On the heels of Smash Bros’ delay, what other games will see that? I expect GTA4 not hitting this half of the year as well as Mario Kart, Ninja Gaiden 2 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. These games have a spring 08 date.

Wrong. GTA hit Spring the same time as Mario Kart. Gaiden 2 was a few weeks after, but Force was pushed to September.

10) Wii needs more hardcore games. I hope to see some this year. But how will Nintendo feel about making them anymore? Zelda and Metroid did good, but not as well as hoped in the end (Metroid Prime 3's 600,000 or so isn't enough for that franchise). Capcom will be one to deliver on that, I can see that. Note: This does not count Harvey Birdman, Wii Love Golf and Okami, I’m talking about an unannounced game. Can I see a third Resident Evil game on Wii? Yes.

Wrong. Nothing much in the hardcore department hit after Smash Bros hit America. Very disappointing and utterly surprising.

11) Speaking of which, Mario was done twice, Zelda was done, Metroid was done and Smash is soon. So what’s up Nintendo’s sleeve this year this fall other than Mario Kart? Mario Party 9, Starfox, Animal Crossing and a new Wii-whatever game. Will that be enough to outsell any big game on the other platforms?

Kinda... Barely. Mario Kart wasn’t delayed, yet it was one of their top games for the year. Animal Crossing came out, but fans were pretty pissed seeing no changes to the game everyone though to be extremely expansive. Wii Music launched though..... Yea.

12) Speaking of which again, 360 games of 2008? What will beat Halo, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, Assassin’s Creed and Orange Box? Too Human will be there with this GTA 4 and Call of Duty 5. Microsoft will announce a title that’ll be their big fall game: Gears of War 2.

Mostly. GTA did not have the legs they thought though; game’s doing pretty poorly a few months after the stellar launch ($30 used now because of the incredible amounts traded in!). Too Human did okay, but it was all Gears 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Fable 2, Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead and a few more.

13) And Lastly, the DS? New Super Mario Bros 2, Brain Age 3 and at least an announcement of the third Pokemon to complete the Diamond and Pearl series. Like the equivalent to Pokemon Yellow, Crystal and Emerald. I can also see Gold and Silver remade. For Third Parties, Castlevania, Sonic Chronicles and a ton of casual games.

Kinda. No Mario 2, Brain Age and Pokemon Gold/Silver remake. Though Pokemon Platinum was announced. Third party games consisted of World Ends With You, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV and Tactics A2 from Square-Enix alone. A third Castlevania hit along with two Guitar Heroes, Disgaea remake, and Ninja Gaiden. Sonic Chronicles was shockingly lackluster. Third Parties made the DS this year because Nintendo didn’t touch it this year (pun not intended).

14) Another PS3 exclusive will be lost to the 360 and/or PC. I mean a decent game here, too. But I think the same will go the other way too.

True. Three words: FINAL FANTASY XIII. It’ll hit the 360 on launch for America and Europe. Smaller games went the other way, but nothing mentionable. Eternal Sonata, Bioshock(which was announced in 2007) and Alone in the Dark were three of the ports and none of them did well on PS3.

15) After playing Unreal Tourney 3 on PS3, I can say with confidence, the 360 port won’t nearly be as great, but sell the most in the end.

True. Unreal did well in the summer months on 360. It was good on 360, but it arguably played better with a keyboard/mouse on PS3/PC.

16) I’m a Sonic fan so I’ll personally focus on him here. With Riders 2’s release and Chronicles’ announcement, we ask about what’ll be next. Sega Superstars Tennis will probably be average, while an announcement of the next Sonic game on Wii and Rush 3 on DS will be announced. 360 and PS3? Something.

Mostly. No new DS game announced, though rumors of Chronicles 2 were swirling in September. Unleashed was announced, launched and forgotten. Another Sonic game was announced for Wii: Sonic and the Black Knight. Looks better than Unleashed, but I'm nowhere close to holding my breath for it to be awesome.

17) A 2D Metroid game will be announced this year. I hope to see the Metroid Dread name stick though. I won’t name a platform though, Wii, WiiWare or DS, it’s all game.

Wrong. Nothing Metroid other than the “Play for Wii” remake of Prime 1 and 2.

18) New Castlevania for DS I already said, but I can see one on either 360/PS3 or Wii exclusive.

True. Order of Ecclesia came for DS, Judgment came out for Wii and something was announced for 360/PS3 back at Tokyo Game Show.

19) Other than RE4 and Okami, Wii will see another Wiimake of a very popular game. This time, someone other than Capcom.

True. Amazingly, it was Nintendo that announced it. Pikmin, Mario Power Tennis, DK Jungle Beat, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, and Chibi Robo. The PS2’s Rygar’s and the PS1’s Klonoa hitting Wii soon along with Resident Evil 0 and 1 in Japan only(For now).

20) A Wii headset will also be announced. And you really thought Smash’s delay was a bad thing.

Mostly. Animal Crossing came with WiiSpeak, a mic for the entire room. Works well, but sadly, no Smash and Mario Kart support.

21) This year’s E3 will be a lot better than last year’s. In both format being back at LA and press conferences by the console manufacturers. No GamePro Expo this year I bet.

Wrong. E3 sucked, but NOW it’s going back to normal. E for All came and went also, but that’s its last year.

22) Wii had some great games this year. Sadly, it also had A LOT of crap. I mean a lot. I really think that will change. I mean there’s gonna be some, but overall, it’ll be better. Ironically even though the PS3 had nothing but 360 ports and Sony games, overall the PS3 had quality titles and a decent overall quality with all of them combined. That’ll also change, but the other way.

Wrong. IGN mentioned all their 250+ reviewed Wii games averaged out at a 5.9 score. Terrible. PS3 went down a smidge overall, but it’s probably still the highest in score average.

23) As my last one, I’ll be brave. Failed at it last year, but what the hell. Microsoft has Zune and the PSP doubles as an MP3 player, where’s Nintendo’s answer? Well we’ll see it this year(MacWorld ended, so the words iPod wont pass though my lips, sadly).

True! Give me this one! DSi can play music, though it’s the ACC format. Comes with visualizers and audio tools also! Doesn't mean people will actually care about the system.

One last one though...

I also believe the Patriots will lose the Super Bowl because of the saying “Too good to be true” and lose to the Giants, the Underdog.

True. They did terrible after an undefeated streak...


I thought I did well. 23 predictions: 9 True, 5 Mostly, 4 Kinda and 5 Wrongs. Sure some were easy predictions, but some weren't and I got some right. In January, you will see the 2009 lineup. It'll take me a few weeks to think them up. Think I was too kind or harsh on myself? You can comment if you want under the posts.

Retail Unplaying: How Games Sell and Trade at Game Stores- Xbox 360 Part 2

Went to GameStop today and saw this:


Here's an example of what the previous post was about. When this post was published, Prince of Persia released one week ago. There are already two used copies on the wall with "a few more" behind the counter. They were on hold for employees that were going to buy them. So at least four copies (if not more) of Prince of Persia were traded in within the game's first week on shelves. I could not get any more info on what customers purchased with the $25 trade-in credit that Prince was worth or if the customer took the $20 cash (GameStop rules state that if you get cash for your trade-in, it's 20% less than the value of store credit).

The question is "What happens to Ubisoft?" Well every used copy sold here, including the employee copies, are lost sales. If the four copies sell, Ubisoft lost $240 in sales from one game store in one week: it's all-important launch week. Again, one game store.

GameStop's website states the retail chain has over 4,400 stores. So if the trend was like the store I visited, that means 17,600 copies of Prince of Persia were traded in. If those copies sell, that's a projected $1,056,000 loss on Ubisoft. All the talented programmers, artists, designers, leads, QA testers and everyone else at Ubisoft lose that money and in the end, hurt their business and projective sales that the game deserves.

Now this is not an attack on GameStop, though publishers should do something to combat trade-ins and used sales. Ubisoft is one of the few publishers that actually tries too. If you preorder games like Prince of Persia or Far Cry 2 at GameStop, you automatically upgrade to a limited edition for free. This is smart on Ubisoft's part: Keep your friends (customers) close and enemies (used retailers) closer. GameStop gets preorders ,which are good on their part, and Ubisoft gets as many customers for new copies as possible.

GameStop, or any other used game retailer, can argue too (and make a good point). Some customers preordered and bought new copies of Prince of Persia by sacrificing their games, therefore CREATING sales from trade-ins. For example, let's say four customers bought Prince of Persia with combination of trades and some cash. These four people couldn't afford it without trading in those games. That's 17,600 more copies sold, resulting in Ubisoft gaining $1,056,000. Breaks even huh?

Publishers should take retailers like GameStop or Game Crazy seriously. They need to take action to make them their greatest ally, with promotions like free upgrades or preorder bonuses. While at the same time, making sure they don't benefit too much off themselves.

Retail Unplaying: How Games Sell and Trade at Game Stores- Xbox 360

The gaming industry is like the car industry, some people buy games with older gamers in conjunction with money. Whether or not the game companies like it, this is something that cannot be stopped. There is however, a guide of how successful a game can be and how often your game could get traded in. Obviously the retailers profit off the eventual used games that come in, so this complicates long term success of most games. We first focus on the Xbox 360.

Those who own Xbox 360’s have probably been doing business with these retailers because they succeed from new and used 360 sales the most. Xbox 360 games sell the most on week one. That’s because these games are bought with credit from games bought mere weeks ago. Sales die after a few weeks of a game’s release because of the competition with their own game: the used version. Sadly, 360 customers will pounce on the used versions as soon as they can get their hands on it. Used game sales make the retailer profit and give the game’s actual developer nothing.

Xbox 360 games mostly launch for $59.99, but eventually certain situations make the game drop its price, like losing to preowned games sales. So to battle the used retailers, publishers drop the price to make their sticker price seem more appealing. This also crashes the trade-in value and tries to make gamers lose interest of trading their game in. Though retailers do find ways around that too via trade bonuses and discount cards, like GameStop’s Edge card. There’s the fact that most customers do not care what they get as long as they get something.

There’s some light for the publishers that feel ripped off though. These newer, higher valued 360 games that do get traded in mostly go to new games. These games would have never gotten that sale if it wasn’t for the retailer’s trade program. In the end though, what plays more in this give or take? (Note: At the time of this writing, GameStop did agree that they’ll work with publishers about used games and their profits. Although no one knows what will be achieved out of this.)

Now while I talk about how all 360 games are bought with the blood of game developers, not all Xbox 360 games follow this. It’s a stereotype from the biggest genre on the system- the popular action/sports games. Microsoft has however achieved more variety in its library than its older, fatter console. The Japanese realized Microsoft exists as a console developer and thus started supporting it. Xbox 360 JRPGs, like Tales of Vesperia, are bought to be kept by their owners and aren’t traded in as often and the majority of their audience doesn’t trade in games towards it. Koei’s games, such as Dynasty Warriors 6, doesn’t see massive used figures versus the new sales they achieve either.

Unfortunately most 360 games will see this short-but-bittersweet success method unless every developer started making JRPGs. It’s a trend that has started with the original Xbox, and now that the majority of the hardcore gamer crowd has sided with Microsoft, it has only gotten bigger. Now retailers can have over a hundred copies of a single preowned game on shelves. Publishers should know that people will buy their games, but they need to learn that the idea of cherishing a personal library is nonexistent from their customers. Just be prepared to have your game thrown out like someone after a one night stand... in exchange of another one.

Review: Sonic Unleashed for Nintendo Wii (With Bonus!)

A review for a Sonic game usually introduces itself in the same fashion. It’ll mention how the blue hero made a name for Sega back in the early 90’s and that in reviewed game, the writer hopes that the game keeps up with that legacy. Well here at Never Unplaying, we’re big Sonic fans: all one of us. We know there’s no legacy and that times change. Back when Sonic flourished was when Circuit City was making a brand name for themselves as the biggest electronic store. Fast forward to today, they filed for bankruptcy. So we don’t ask if this game will single-handedly revive the franchise, we just ask for a decent 3D Sonic game to go next to our copies of the last great console Sonic games: Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 back on the Dreamcast.

One thing Sonic fans have tried to do was piece together an adequate story for the entire Sonic franchise. Nevertheless, Sega seems to make a new game with an even more ridiculous plot. They make new enemies that make no sense pieced by new places that ignore the older games. Unleashed does that and then some with the awakening of Dark Gaia when Eggman tore the planet into 7 pieces. Sonic runs into this little dog with wings that he names Chip. Chip tags along to regain his memories while they go out to charge the Chaos Emeralds.

The stages are mixed into day and night. During the night, Sonic is transformed into a furry beast dubbed the Werehog. During the day though, Sonic is his quick Hedgehoggy self. The daytime levels are a mix of classic 2D platforming and 3D runways ala Sonic and the Secret Rings. Everything here is nicely polished; the sense of speed is completely realized. It’s nice seeing the Sonic run through loops and bouncing about in the rollercoaster craziness that the series was meant for. The only gripes are that the levels are nothing but going right and pressing a few buttons and they end too quickly. After you beat the daytime stages you’re given missions to do in the level you completed. It’s a cheap way to extend the speed levels, especially when the mission requires you to dodge things, making you go slow and careful during the rollercoaster moments.

Sonic the Werehog stages are another story though. While Sega decided to get everything right when the sun’s out, it comes to a dead halt when nighttime rolls around. Sonic’s alter form cuts the exhilarating speed and preferred attacks in exchange with slow pacing, generic hack and slash battles and frustrating platforming. It would be pretty ignorable if they lasted as long as the three minute day stages, but you can spend about 10 minutes on the night stages due to the slow pacing. The stages doesn’t go day-night-day either, you’ll be de doing three night stages before the hint of a day one.

Controls for the Werehog make the platforming difficult, because he’s a total mess. You’ll be dying needless deaths due to unresponsive jumps, uncoordinated acrobatics or dashing by accident. Later night stages get more so difficult that the two lives you get are not enough to pass the stage the first time, resulting in game overs and restarting the level from the beginning. Combat is controlled with mostly two attacks, left punches and right punches. Stream them to gain combos and smooth out fights or use them in different combinations for special attacks. You’ll be fighting the same generic enemies so combat will feel totally plain. Total shame too, because without the Werehog stages, this would be a standup title. It could be a deal-breaker, and it’s a large chunk of the game where you just want to ask yourself why this part was included in the first place.

Though the Wii is known for the use of motion controls, Wii games can do something else that no other current console can do: Allow the use of totally different interfaces. Sonic Unleashed was generous enough to allow the use of the Classic controller and GameCube controller along with the default Wii Remote and Nunchuk, a major plus for the Wii version. Good thing too since the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo is straight up horrible. Sega has filled the motion sensing version with tons of needless waggling for homing, light dashing and Werehog combat. For example, punching with the Werehog controls feels like WiiSports Boxing: literally punch with your hand to give the same effect on screen. Funny enough, it’s just as lame as WiiSports Boxing, resulting in you begging for the superior and effective GameCube controller. The game’s hard enough with standard buttons that the least thing you need is unresponsive and tacky waggling. Meanwhile, the Classic controller isn’t a meaningful replacement either; which oddly enough represents a control scheme similar to the other three console versions of Unleashed.

Sonic games are usually structured in two ways: either it goes from stage to stage without much interference in between, or the stages are located in a town and the character must physically travel to the stage to continue. Unleashed decided to mold them and make it a complete waste of time. Instead of exploring a town for missions or story enhancement like Sonic Adventure, the town is presented as a menu and you decide which ugly citizen you want to mindlessly chat with. Since nothing is story driven, you might just want to ram the buttons to continue without reading anything. It’s burning time and disk space that can be used for fun.

Arguably, the best parts of Sonic Unleashed are the in-game audio and visuals. The stages look very big and detailed for Wii standards, though I’d like to see more fleshed out character models. The stage music fits the level you’re playing, but the town stuff is a little generic. When playing the night stages, you’re given the same lame jazz music during the many fights and you’ll be wishing for more varied and catchy battle music. At least this all happens while the game runs in a smooth framerate, progressive scan and widescreen; very well done there.

It’s nice to say that Sega has kind of been bringing the blue blur on the right path, but Sonic still has a long way to go. They have been tweaking the game by using what worked and what didn’t in the last decade. It results in the daytime stages being most polished and enjoyable Sonic moments since the two Sonic Adventures. Though there are major hitches with the Werehog bits, Unleashed isn’t the worse recommendation to any desperate Wii owner wanting a platformer during this scarce holiday season. Sonic fans like me have been through hell (Sonic the Hedgehog for Xbox 360/PS3) and Unleashed sadly hasn’t brought us greatness that previews showed. However, if Sega keeps up on the Sonic franchise like they have been, future Sonic titles may have some deep potential. You’re almost there Sega, just no more gimmicks like the Werehog again, please!

Sonic Unleashed for Wii: 6.2/10



I will not end the review here though. After playing the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed, I was extremely baffled. They feel like totally different games. So I decided to delay the whole review for a very in-depth comparison to Sonic Unleashed. More meets the eye here, from controls, visuals and stages. But does the 360 version beat the lesser powerful Wii version? This one's for the Sonic fans wanting to know in detail which version to get.

Sonic Unleashed: Nintendo Wii versus Xbox 360

Never has the saying “Different as night and day” seemed so true. No, this isn’t an analogy for the night and day stages, it’s about how the Wii and Xbox 360 versions of Sonic Unleashed are total polar opposites. The game is mediocre on both platforms, but weirdly enough for totally different things. If only the good parts of each version were unified in one version, this game would have been good.

Visuals:
-Obviously the high-definition, higher powered Xbox 360 beats the Wii’s not-bad visuals.
-The Wii version retains a better framerate which is crucial for some parts.
-The entire interface is different as well: from loading screens, title screen and menus.

Oddly enough, there are some things that are cut from the Wii version of Unleashed:
-The Xbox 360 version has a more in depth ranking system and level-up system when you beat a level, while the Wii version ignores any customization of abilities.
-The 360 version has more attacks for the Werehog.
-Mini games are taken out: Flight levels between continents, chili dog eating contest, etc. Though Wii owners aren’t missing much.
-There are chunks of stages missing alongside the ability to collect sun and moon medals in-stage (Thankfully).
-The biggest thing missing is interactive towns though. On Wii, the menus represent areas of towns and clicking around gets you though the story. Xbox 360 owners though have a small bit of town to run around and little else. Ironically enough, the Wii version beats the interactive town. Both versions’ towns are such a waste of time, but the Wii ends these town events faster due to the lack of physically running to the areas.

Controls:
-One Xbox 360 controller vs. three control setups on Wii.
-The Xbox 360 setup is similar to the Classic controller, but the differences stalemate the mediocrity of both:
-Homing has always been controlled by pressing the jump button in the air, retaining all airborne control on one button. The Xbox 360 version decided to throw simple convenience out the window by making the homing attack on a separate button.
-Running as Sonic the Werehog on 360 is used with the right trigger combined with the analog stick, which makes sense and keeps control on speed when walking down tricky areas. This beats the horrendous double tap on the analog stick on Classic controller.
-Either way, the GameCube controller’s controls in Werehog battle makes Nintendo’s seven year old controller the best overall controller for Unleashed.

Difficulty:
-The Wii version hands you two lives for every level without the ability to gain more lives like in older games in the series.
-The Xbox 360 version gives you five lives with the ability to gain lives via 100 rings.
-The Xbox 360 version is too easy while the Wii version is too hard without any good middle ground between the two.

These two versions reek of the words “if only.” If only the 360 used a control setup like the GameCube controller. If only the Wii version had the same level content as the Xbox 360’s version. If only we had a good version of the game. Sonic Unleashed has done something that no other multiplatform game has ever done before: Stalemate each other by varying ways of failure. If I had to choose one version to get, get the Wii version. Only if you have a GameCube controller to use, otherwise get the Xbox 360 version. Though after this torture, your best bet is to get a good game.

Sonic Unleashed for Xbox 360: 6.0

Games You Shouldn’t Unplay: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon

Games become best-sellers because when they have big budgets and even bigger marketing, more copies are sold. Unfortunately some of these games are not the best out there, but there’s a sadder story here and it is totally the opposite. There are great games out there that get virtually no publicity whatsoever, so it should be up to the gaming community to make sure these lost gems become found. Note: It’s a better idea if these games are bought brand new (If possible and if it’s not long discontinued), because the publishers will get the money and support. This publisher support can include green lighting a sequel, making a spinoff or more publisher support on that system.

This time on Games You Shouldn’t Unplay is a pretty recent release: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon for the Nintendo Wii. This was actually a surprise game since the last time Americans saw little Chocobo star in a console game was the Chocobo games on the original PlayStation nine years ago. This fable starts off with Chocobo and his treasure hunting partner Cid warping to the town of Losttime after searching for an artifact known as Timeless Power. Losttime is cursed with the Bell of Oblivion, a devastating chime that when rung, the people of the town lose their memories. Of course, it’s up to our adorable yellow hero to save the residents by going in the dungeons of their minds and recover those memories.

Chocobo’s Dungeon will be very familiar to those known to rougelike RPG’s like Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon and Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja for the Nintendo DS. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of rougelikes, they basically consist of walking on a grid in many randomly created levels. It is turn based and each turn lasts as long as a single step. Developer h.a.n.d. Inc. has made tiny adjustments to the formula to cater to Final Fantasy fans and people who think rougelikes are too hard and boring. They integrated a primitive version of the Final Fantasy job class system. Yes this cute little thing can become a black mage (complete with beady yellow eyes) or a combat heavy knight.

As a Wii exclusive RPG, there is a surprising lack of motion controls. A quick swipe to organize the item menu is all you’ll waggle at in the main game. Making a RPG a wagglefest can be a disastrous result, and luckily Chocobo’s Dungeon refrains from doing that. It plays either through the Wii Remote on its side or if you want, a Classic Controller can be used. Motion controls are used, but only in the loudmouth Moogle’s mini-games, because what’s a Wii game without mini-games?

Thankfully though, most of the mini-games are pretty fun, especially the Pop Up Duel game. By playing the main game, you can gain cards for a Final Fantasy themed deck for Pop Up Duel. You can fight computer enemies or duke it out online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. It really feels like there’s a completely second game in this game

Chocobo’s dungeon looks great. You can see the art perfectly in sync with the cutesy charm that the game is full of. Menus are very clean looking and easy to understand like the rest of the game. Catchy music is the first you’ll hear when you boot up this game, later combined with good voice acting (for the exception of Moogle). Finally for those with compatible televisions, and the game does run in widescreen and in progressive scan, something that should be standard by now. Square-Enix knows how Wii games should look and sound and hopefully we will see more games from them on Wii.

Some will probably feel like Chocobo’s Dungeon and rougelikes in general are tedious and frustrating, but h.a.n.d. made enough tweaks to make the genre more appealing and satisfying. The game starts off basic, but the game constantly give you more to do and makes the game feel more complete. You probably either never saw this game or saw this game with little or no response. Either way, this game is at least worth a rental to see how you like it. Chocobo’s Dungeon is one of the best rougelike RPG’s out there with tons of charm and worth a gander at for RPG newbies and veterans alike.

Demo Impressions: Mirror’s Edge

If you don’t know what Mirror’s Edge is, watch the trailers for the game. The exhilaration that you feel watching it is something that can’t be perfectly described in words. The feeling of jumping between large gaps to only cling to a pipe makes your heart skip a beat. Well late last week, Electronic Arts released the playable demo of Mirror’s Edge on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network and finally everyone can get hands on with the unique first person action game.

It’s exciting to play demos like these before the game comes out. Games that look and feel so refreshing and innovative are some of the best experiences that you can achieve as a game developer and a gamer. Mirror’s Edge takes the acrobatic styles like Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider and twists it with speedy gameplay, stylish combat and puts it in a first person perspective. When you boot up the demo, you’re treated to an extreme slick menu followed by a beautiful animated opening. The question is, after all the spine tingling trailers, after all the all the stunning audio and visuals, do gamers have what it takes to control a game like this?

Though most gamers can relate Mirror’s Edge to games like Prince of Persia, it actually feels like it spiritually runs parallel to Sonic the Hedgehog. It primarily consists of trial and error gameplay mixed with a ton of speed and dexterity, something Sonic fans have understood with since the original hit nearly two decades ago. When you first play through the demo, you probably feel like you cannot grasp the speed, the coordination and the fun the game is supposed to feel. Tragically, that is exactly what the newer three dimensional Sonic games have been dealing with over the last few years. You will have to learn how to get past obstacles one at a time by failing and dying, which for some people, can feel like work than fun. You’ll feel like a mess when missing a jump or failing to disarm a guy correctly and dying only to try it again until you do it right. Though if you run the demo a second time, in all likelihood you should be guaranteed to at least cut the time it took the first run-through in half. Playing the demo after that first time captures what Mirror’s Edge tries to be, but the surprise and suspense that it wants you to feel is worn off due to memorization of the route.

The controls help damper the experience as well. After playing the demo on the Xbox 360, it’s perfectly understandable that it feels more at home on a PlayStation 3. The game’s platforming is based on the 360’s left trigger and bumper, which is not at all comfortable compared to the DualShock’s L1 and L2 (it can be switched to the right, but the results are the same). It ends of feeling very unintuitive can lead to needless deaths or screw ups. The lack of custom mapping the controls was a foolish decision, since some players might have liked using the A and X buttons instead of using the left bumper/trigger.

Mirror’s Edge is watching poetry in motion, but only if you’re able to string along the visual rhyme scheme. Though multiple runs grasp the concept better, it sacrifices the heart-stopping action that the game was meant to initially deliver. Though this is a short demo and the game might deliver on its promises with later levels, the controls mixed with annoying hit or miss trials make Mirror’s Edge lose its edge.