Game of the Year awards are almost never consensus picks. Different gamers like different types of games. Here at Snackbar Games, we have a diverse staff of writers and editors, and between now and the end of the year, they’ll each be telling you, however they choose, about their top ten of ’08. We round out the first week with head honcho Chris Rasco’s top…9. Budget cuts?
9. Warrior’s Orochi 2
More of the same hack and slash action that KOEI has been putting out for years, but I just can’t get enough of it. The tweaks this year have kept me playing since it’s release. Since there isn’t really anything groundbreaking going on here, I couldn’t put it any higher on my list for 2008.
8. Wii Fit
Despite the quirky nature of many of the Wii titles, Wii Fit included, I really enjoy what Wii Fit is doing for gaming. It really delivers on the promise that the Wii is the truly interactive gaming system. Not to mention that it’s a true workout if you stick with it and do it for 20-30 minutes a day.
7. Boom Blox
If the kids didn’t get this for me for my birthday, I would have missed out on one of the years top titles. Boom Blox is one part carnival game, one part reverse Jenga, and one part frustration. What you end up with is a really entertaining game that I love playing with the kids. READ MORE
The loveable and huggable Mike and Marco are back with another great podcast. Just in time for the holidays, they talk about their top games for 2008 and throw in a Holiday Gift Guide for all you last minute shoppers.
You can hit the direct link of the podcast here, or if you aren’t subscribed to our Podcast Feed, you can find that here.
Turbine, the folks behind MMOs such as Asheron’s Call, Lord of the Rings Online, and Dungeons and Dragons Online are apparently feeling the hurt of this economy too as they are reported to have laid off most of the Customer Support and QA teams. There are also rumors of additional layoffs in the works.
The impact that this has on gamers is that players of the any Turbine run MMO are going to have to do without any type of support from the company for the time being.
No official word has come out of Turbine, but stories from ex-employees are sure to hit message boards over the coming hours.
We have been unable to reach Turbine for comments.
UPDATE: Adam from Turbine’s Communications Team has contacted us and confirmed that there was a small percentage of layoffs from the company today. He also was clear in stating that they didn’t eliminate either of the QA or Support teams in their entirety. As a private company they aren’t disclosing exact figures, but we were assured that there would be no impact to current customers playing any of the 3 games that Turbine is responsible for. The layoffs were organization wide and didn’t impact any one team or department more than another.
Adam did stress that some of the factors for these layoffs were the preemptive measures related to the economy as well as strategic moves as they refocus the business after wrapping up the Mines of Moria expansion for Lord of the Rings Online.
Gamers currently playing any of the Turbine titles shouldn’t worry, but we feel for the departing members of the Turbine family as the economy is definitely leaving lots of casualties in its wake.
Rhythm and music games have overtaken the party game scene and are now the dominant force in the living room. These games have traditionally required dedication and lots of practice to enjoy; screw up badly enough and you or your band gets booed off the stage. Nintendo made Wii Music to make music games more accessible.
Wii Music aims to bridge the gap for gamers wanting to experience the thrill of a musical simulation without the burden of the practice. This is done by eliminating large guitar and drum controllers and utilizing the Wii remote and nunchuk as the only items needed to enjoy the game. To accomplish this, the musical experience changes from one where timing is important to one where the focus is based merely around feeling the rhythm of the music. In Wii Music you effectively play “air guitar” and the music follows your movements. Shake the remote fast and the music speeds up, slow down your movements and the music follows. It’s a novel concept really in that you are in control of the music as opposed to attempting to recreate the song as it was recorded. This places you into the role of the artist, creating music as you go.
Wii Music has 3 main gameplay modes: Lessons, Jams, and Games. Lessons teach you the basics of Wii Music and how each of the 4 control scheme types control different types of instruments. Jams allow you to either Improv the music as you go or play either Quick or Custom jams. There are 3 available Games to play including Mii Maestro where you take on the role of a conductor. Handbell Harmony is a game that focuses on playing a song using handbells and this game does focus on perfect timing to achieve a high score. Pitch Perfect is a nifty little game that tests your ability to match pitches or place notes in different orders.
If you own Wii Fit or have a balance board, you can also take advantage of drum mode that also includes its own Lessons and Jam modes. The drums take a lot longer to learn to play compared to the other instruments.
Veterans of games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero will find Wii Music to be a complete waste of time. It just doesn’t pack the level of difficulty that those games provide. Where Wii Music shines is for the younger audience. Younger gamers will enjoy seeing their Mii recreate the music based on their movements.
Wii Music really didn’t strike a chord with me. I found it to be largely underwhelming as a whole. The games were entertaining, but short lived. The Jam mode was a novelty and became boring after a song or two. That said, my 4-year-old did enjoy playing Jam mode quite a bit. I don’t think Nintendo will win over any fans of other music rhythm games, but there is a good chance that Wii Music will act as a gateway game for younger gamers that may have not been exposed to other titles in this genre. Save your money unless you’ve got kids and even then, you might want to borrow or rent this one first.
Plays Like: Rock Band with no instruments
Pros: Good for kids
Cons: Gets boring fast
ESRB: E for everyone
EA has announced a new title in their NASCAR franchise and it represents a drastic change from previous titles. NASCAR Kart Racing features a fun and over the top racing experience that is sure to be a hit for the whole family.
NASCAR Kart Racing will feature 14 real world drivers and 10 fictional characters created by EA that run the full gamut of potential competitors for the NASCAR folks and include European drivers, Motocross drivers, and even a few female drivers. 2 of the real drivers will be mystery drivers that you can unlock in the game. READ MORE
