It all used to be so simple. Puzzle games were meant for old ladies and people who don’t play games. RPG’s were meant to be for pasty-faced gamers who would never see the light of day or be with a woman. Now, thanks to Puzzle Quest, they’ve melded into one cohesive mess of item matching.

Then Puzzle Quest: Galactrix came out and said “You know what? Let’s ruin this idea before it even gets to pick up off the ground!” Sure, there were other Puzzle Quest like games that came out between Puzzle Quest and now, but Gyromancer seems to be the first one that’s actually captured some attention, mainly due to the two powerhouse companies that are behind the game: PopCap (Peggle, Plants vs. Zombies) and Square Enix (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest).

In the game, you defeat monsters in a Bejeweled Twist like puzzle game. The difference between this and Puzzle Quest is how you and your opponents attack.

In Puzzle Quest, matching three to five skulls would cause a basic attack, while collecting colored gems would pool mana of that specific color. You can then cash in that mana to attack the opponent with spells or boost your stats or turn the tide to your favor.

Gyromancer, however, is done very differently. Battle is done consistently through your actions. The opponent doesn’t move gems or “take a turn,” it simply feeds off your actions. The opponent’s attack meter slowly fills up as time passes, which he then releases a gem that shines with a counter. If you don’t defeat that gem when the counter reaches zero, you get hit.

For your offense, you match gems to build up your mana. When you mana reaches the maximum needed, it will released a shiny gem that when you break it with a combo, you’ll attack the opponent.

The differences in all of the battles is the beasts you bring into each and every battle. Each beasts has an affinity to a certain type of gem: if you break apart those gems, you refill your meters faster and fight more frequently. However, some affinities are weaker against others, so finding a suitable mix of beasts is a must for strategy.

In order to gain more beasts, you have to find Gyro Codes scattered on each map and when you defeat that map, you get to summon beasts of those you captured. The beasts are little more than just stat points and a means to collect items, but it still keeps the game relatively interesting and fun while you’re playing.

This particular melding of genres have had a very polarizing result table lately (Puzzle Quest was great, while Galactrix and Puzzle Kingdoms were very bad), but for the most part, Gyromancer is a good puzzle game that remains fun as you play it for any period of time.

Detractors of the Bejeweled Twist mechanic, which is when four gems are moved clockwise instead of two gems switching, will want to steer clear of Gryomancer. The game uses everything from the Twist game to full effect, even its weaknesses.

It’s pretty annoying at times when you can’t move your gems counter-clockwise for whatever reason, which becomes a big pain later on in the game when the punishment for not matching gems in a turn absolutely murders you. However, it’s something you do get used to.

Also, the story and graphics are pretty bland and boring, almost to the point where the story is easily ignorable. In fact, in all honesty, I don’t remember a thing from the story and the graphics are just the gems and still photos of the beasts and characters.

In all, Gyromancer is a very competent and fun Puzzle Quest like game. Whether it’s better than Puzzle Quest is entirely up to your feelings on the Twist mechanics, but if you can handle it, there’s a good 5 – 8 hours of fun you could be having. As long as you’re okay with no multiplayer in the package, it should be worth your cash.

Brad Wiswall
www.twitter.com/gamakarmica

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Sports Arcade titles on downloadable services have either been a well done hit (3 on 3 NHL Arcade) or a disastrously ugly miss (MLB Stickball) or a baffling, sickeningly horrible abomination that’s worse than watching a video of Ron Artest punching an infant…in a nursery (NBA Unrivaled…shudder). Madden NFL Arcade is a $15 download that fits in the wide range between hit and miss.

There are some key differences between the simulation Madden and the Arcade version. First, the field is shortened to 60 yards and you must get a touchdown within 4 downs. Next, there is only 5 players on the field at any time. Also, kickers and special teams are eliminated altogether in the game. This is to eliminate any filler that would normally bog down a traditional football game.

Power-ups are fairly common in the game, where you can unleash “Frostbite” or “Triple Threat” on a Defense, while the D can summon Fumblitis to turn the game into a game of Pigskin for the Genesis. Apparently, the game is supposed to envoke the feel and fun of the arcade football games of yore.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite do it. The game fails to live to the standards that NFL Blitz and even NFL Street did. Games are fast, but not really “arcade” fast. Sure, the game lets you choose 4 simple plays at which you could control any player to design your own route. And, yes, a game can be completed in ten minutes.

But what Blitz and Street did so well is make every single move or play seem rewarding, challenging and fun to perform, which Madden doesn’t quite get right. Instead of having over-the-top tackles (Blitz) or a combo based juke-and-move system (Street), it decides to use an abbreviated version of the Madden controls, right down to using specific button and stick patterns to do special moves.

Not only that, the game’s timing is slightly off on tackles, so you may find that using special moves in running plays to be largely ineffective. This leads to a constant “Rock-Paper-Scissors” match on choosing the right plays to gain decent yardage.

Picking the right play should only be half of the equation. Unfortunately, it seems it’s the entire equation for this game and it ends up being less of a game of arcade skill and more of a pattern recognition game.

For example: If you decide to do a run play with Frank Gore, you should be able to pound into everyone and run them over. However, if the opponent guesses the right play, no matter if you’re the Steelers or my (unforutnately) favorite team the Redskins, you can stop Frank Gore on his tracks. This kind of parity makes the teams and the players basically irrelevant throughout the entire game.

On top of that, passing plays are way too strong in this game, leading to cheap “money plays” that plagued traditional Madden for years. This, of course, leads to the very annoying game of “guess which pass play he/she’s doing” to win, which becomes less and less fun after every game.

For a multiplayer game, however, Madden NFL Arcade is plain stupid fun. Play against a friend or an online opponent and its playable to the point of being fun. Online matches haven’t had many hiccups in the few games I’ve played, so they’ve ended in being fun or with the person rage quitting after getting rightfully pounded.

The over-the-top style of the game also has a nice charm to the game, with its quasi Madden look being more colorful and animated than before.

But for $15, it’s simply not a good game of Arcade football. As a fan of both Blitz and Street, I enjoyed the style of gameplay and its breadth of features it had to make the games fun. Madden NFL Arcade has none of that, resulting in a game that is meant to be strictly a multiplayer affair.

Honestly, EA should bring NFL Street back.

And while they are at it, bring back NBA Street, NBA Street and redo the FIFA Street series please.

Brad Wiswall
www.twitter.com/gamakarmica

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This list covers everything that came out from the beginning of Jan. to the end of Aug., so here goes the Ten Favorite games, in no particular order, that came out this year thus far. This list includes games on the XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PC and iPhone:

Battlefield 1943 (XBLA/PSN) – It’s pure Battlefield, sure, but its also one of the best bargains for multiplayer games. $15 for a great, competitive multiplayer game with satisfying gunplay and multiplayer mechanics is considered a great bargain to me…now if only Fat Princess could be anywhere near as satisfying.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene (iPhone) – This beautiful, trance inducing iPhone games meshes the simplistic, addicting gameplay of Space Invaders with the artistic aesthetic of Rez to create one of the best games on the iPhone platform. $5 for this game is a steal.

UFC 2009: Undisputed (PS3/X360) – Featuring one of the deepest, most intricate one on one fighting systems in any game, UFC could have been completely content on being a cash-in product to the rising popularity of MMA. What it became, however, is the ultimate fighting/wrestling simulation that fans of the sport have been waiting for. Deep fighting mechanics, excellent graphics and one of the most rewarding fighting systems makes this a game that all fighting game fans should experience.

Knights of the Nightmare (DS) – Knights of the Nightmare is a strange, cerebral hybrid of turn based RPG, strategy-RPG and shoot-em-up. The game takes a while to get started (and to learn, you’ll spend your first few hours on the tutorial), but once you get the ball rolling, you’ll find an incredibly unique and satisfying RPG on your DS.

Street Fighter IV (X360/PS3) – The true king of fighters is back, relying on its old school charm and deep fighting system to elevate it to one of the best fighting games ever made. Excellent balance, great fighting mechanics and a beautiful art style create one of the best fighters to come out in a long time.

Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – It’s easy to scoff at the minigame collections on the Wii, but Wii Sports Resort creates some of the best minigame collections for its new WiiMotion Plus peripheral. There are key favorites (Table Tennis, Archery) compared to others (Cycling, Canoeing), but the overall package is so well thought out and polished that its hard to fault its shortcomings.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) – PSP gamers who have been dying for their next big gaming fix has certainly foudn it in Dissidia: Final Fantasy. This unique Power Stone/Final Fantasy hybrid marries fast paced tug of war fighting mechanics with the lore and the RPG mechanics of a Final Fantasy game. Fighting games fans with some RPG love should pick this up immediately.

Plants vs. Zombies (PC) – PopCap makes another smash hit. It’s twist on tower defense and strategy blends with its unique sense of humor and RTS qualities to create what may possibly be the most addicting game to come out on PC.

Drop7 (iPhone) – Easily the most addicting puzzle game to come out on any platform, Drop7’s ingenious twist on the Match3 concept makes this game impossible to put down, even after only play a quick 5 minute game. For $3.99, every iPhone owner should have a copy of this game to play at all times.

Shadow Complex (XBLA) – A perfect homage to 2D exploration games like Super Metroid, Shadow Complex takes this once handheld only genre and creates one of the more addicting games this year has produced. A $50 disguised as a downloadable product, Shadow Complex is easily one of the deepest offerings on any downloadable service.

Here are some honorable mentions that just didn’t make it to the Top Ten:

Halo Wars (X360) – Almost perfectly blends the RTS genre into consoles. A great time for fans of the genre.
Klonoa (Wii) – A level for level remake of the original PS1 game. For $30, any platformer fan owes themselves to have this game in their collection.
‘Splosion Man (XBLA) – A platformer filled with personality and maddening difficulty, this will pull your hair out but leave you completely satisfied.
Shatter (PSN) – This Arkanoid-plus blends clean visuals, an excellent soundtrack and excellent ball bashing mechanics to great effect.
Flight Control (iPhone) – A simple 99cent puzzle game is one of the more addicting, with its colorful visuals and its addicting and sweatbreaking gameplay.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii) – The WiiMotion Plus-ified features one of the best games of golf you can play. The WiiMotion Plus attachment adds a lot of weight and interactivity to an already deep and fun game.
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (X360/PS3) – Beautiful animation and crazy character designs are par for course with Aksys Games, but the intense and intricate fighting system of BlazBlue elevates the game past its predecessor Guilty Gear.

And thus ends the first 8 months of the year, but for some, the year in gaming is just beginning. Let’s see what happens in the next 3 months of gaming.

(Note: Some of you might be wondering “Hey, where’s Batman: Arkham Asylum? Well, in all honesty, I got to play a good amount of Arkham, but not enough to have a strong opinion on it, thus it wasn’t included.)

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Marvel vs Capcom is considered to be one of the most rare games to find from the previous generation. When the game was released for XBOX, PS2 and Dreamcast, it was limited to one run because Capcom lost the rights to the Marvel Universe at the time of its release.

Brad’s Take: Well, after the police here in my hometown let me out with a warning (and a proper cavity search, ouch), I cannot feel more than jubilation at the fact that one of the most elusive games is coming back for a new generation of gamers to play.

There is the fact that the luster of this game will be diminished though: MvC2 is horribly unbalanced and that Capcom will not change anything to the balance will mean that everyone will use the one unbalanced team in the game:

Yeah, like I’m gonna tell you.

Bryan’s Take: When Brad was getting arrested by the police for his  disorderly conduct, I was in bed sleeping. When I awoke to this news, I too was excited but was able to control myself to not strip while going to work.

This is awesome news and this is a win for the PS3 owners. It’s good that both XBLA and PSN will be getting the game but the fact that the 360 controller is not made for fighting game just hurts. Unless you are willing to spend money on a 360 fighting pad or arcade stick, the game might be frustrating.  The PS3 owners should have a better time with this game but could always do better with an arcade stick for the fighting games they love.

When seeing the video, they say there is online play which is wonderful but what if they did a 3-on-3 match with 6 players. One player from each team will control that player and so when they are tagged in, they need to fight them. The super combos and tags coming in can still only be exicuted by the player who is fighting. I think that could add an extra challenge and have more of a ‘team’ feel for this game.

Just think about it.

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Arcade racers have turned into a different breed in the past five years, which is why Outrun Online Arcade is a strange type of throwback.

Outrun was one of the first Arcade racers to adopt the “Checkpoint” system into its races. In the game, you blow through checkpoint after checkpoint in order to make the end of the race. If you run out of time between checkpoints, you lose.

There were three differences to the game: The ability to drift and be scored (by hearts from your girlfriend on the backseat), an open ended nature that allows you to finish the race as you see fit (it acts as the difficulty curve), and the sole, most glaring difference: You’re really not racing anyone. It’s these three things that make Outrun what it is.

Fast forward to Outrun Online Arcade, released this past month on XBLA. Everything pretty much stays the same in the game, excluding a nice HD finish. Sure, they add a new mode (Heart Attack mode, which has you doing specific things during each checkpoint), but it’s still for all intents and purposes Outrun.

And for fans of the game, it’s a definite plus. It’s Outrun exactly as you remember it. But herewithin lies the problem: Not enough has changed. With the surge of classic gaming updates, including favorites like Space Invaders Extreme and Pac-Man Championship Edition, it would like to be believed that when they do a new version of a classic, they’ll follow the same mantra: Keep the core gameplay the same, but change everything else.

Arcade racing games have just evolved too much since Outrun and it’s kind of sad that the remake hasn’t done anything to bring it up that echelon.

That leads to the final problem: Price. Like many of the new downloadable games, the price doesn’t justify the amount of game you get. You still get one course, you still get the same cars and you still do the same things. In fact, you could swear that they literally did nothing to change the game.

Still, fans of Outrun will enjoy this nice, pretty HD remake of their game. Other people may enjoy it…but it should be cheaper.

Worth the Price – Let it Drop – Hold Your Cash

By Brad Wiswall

XBL: Gamakarmica
PSN: Vanillatwisted
twitter.com/gamakarmica

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To the core gaming crowd that still reads magazines, OXM is considered to be little more than a PR branded magazine that occasionally gets really juicy exclusive reviews.

Well, an interesting article was placed in the new OXM that talks about the future and past of Xbox Live Arcade. On a small section of this article was the sales figures for the best selling games on XBLA. On top was UNO, with an astounding 1.4M+ copies sold. If you’re paying attention, that means UNO made $7M+ on XBLA. Damn.

The next two in terms of copies sold is Texas Hold ‘Em and Undertow. However, these two games were sold for free within a certain period of time as either a promotion or an Ike Turner “I’m sorry baby” gift, so which exactly was paid for is not yet known.

The next one that hasn’t been free at any point on the list is Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, which took in almost 754K, making $7.5M in sales.

Brad’s Take: Honestly, I’m not surprised that UNO is the top selling XBLA game. Many people see their first set of balls or breasts through UNO, so it’s almost like a rite of passage…

The rest of the list, however, is quite surprising. I will not spoil the entire list, but let’s say one of the biggest rip-offs on XBLA is on the Top Ten. Bow your heads in shame, consumers!

The question I have is this: Why doesn’t Microsoft show the sales data in a more frequent basis?

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Brad’s Take: Lost Cities is one of those XBLA games that literally no one gave a chance to. Which is a shame, because it’s a great multiplayer card game. That being said, Sierra is one of those companies involved in the huge shuffling that was the Activision/Blizzard Merger and this could be a complication of that problem.

Then again…Boogie Bunnies is still on XBLA…

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