Hey folks Valkor here. Today Epic-1 and I got the chance to hang out with the folks of Warner Interactive. To think we do enough of their DVDs and Blu rays for their Home division, it was only a matter of time before we broke into the gaming area. It was a brief meeting with not a lot to see, but what did get to see was enough to keep me sassified.
Where The Wild Things Are (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS) – It’s the popular book, turned movie, and now it looks to be a popular video game. You take on the role of Max as you venture to the island of The Wild Things. There you will solve puzzles, play mini games and learn new skills from the Wild Things. We got to see the opening stage where Max follows one of the main char Wild Things, killing fireflies, collecting stars and climbing up walls trying to catch up to the beast. All of this was shown on the Wii and graphically speaking, I was impressed with the look, which definitely captures the dark and creepy feel of the book, yet seems like a lot of fun. The game is due out on Oct 13th with the movie following on the 16th, so that should be a pretty interesting week.
Scooby-Doo First Frights (Wii, Nintendo DS, PS 2) – I can’t believe that Scooby-Doo is still so damn popular. Seriously, I thought that after the first live action film, things would die down, but the zany dog and his friends of Mystery Inc Velma, Shaggy, Fred, and Daphne are in a new game based upon their first “fright” adventures. (Because we all know it started with a Pup named Scooby-Doo). In the game, you will initially take control of 2 characters suited for the level, however once you’ve cleared it, you can go back with any of the characters to unlock areas you could not reach before. Each character has different powers such as Daphne who’s agile or Velma who can toss books. There are 4 episodes with 20 levels total, which I am told leads up to 8 hours of play, but having the ability to replay worlds only adds to the fun. You’ll also be able to acquire masks and different costumes that will allow you to use different powers. We were able to check out some of Scooby’s costumes such as a ninja outfit that allows him to toss ninja Frisbees and an opera costume that will allow him use of his deadly singing voice. This is also a game where a friend can instantly join in without waiting to start a new game, but if you’re playing solo, the AI appears pretty smart and responds accordingly to the action. Finally the game has running comments so as you’re playing the characters will speak along with the action. Finally the game allows you to gather clues to try and solve who is the main villain and you’ll be rewarded if you guess correctly. The game is due out on Sept 22nd which coincides with the film, which is due out on DVD also going by the same name.
Scene it! 3rd edition (PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii) – I’m not the biggest fan of party games, but I can see where the interest lies; pitting yourself against live players for bragging rights is always fun. I’ve known of the Scene It! Games for some time, but never had I had the chance to play them until this event. Scene it! Basically pits you against four 3 other players matching your movie trivia skills. Once you’ve selected the rules, picked your players, then you’re ready to play. You can guess the film based on a clip, guess the actor/actress by info related to them, or mine and Epic’s personal favorite, guessing the film based on 8-bit pixilated images. Trust me, it’s way cooler than it sounds. You really wanna watch the scene play out entirely rather than quickly guessing. The game was a lot of fun with four players and should make for great holiday fun.
Game Party 3 (Wii) – Epic was more familiar with this game than I was and honestly more interested than I was. The game pits 4 players (though you can have up to 16 for group play) in a variety of party games from pool, to darts, skill ball, and beer…. Oops I mean soda pong. You get to customize your character in a variety of outfits, and then its game on! The controls, if you haven’t played the previous games, takes some getting used to. But again I don’t feel any sparks coming off the game. I guess after playing “Scene it!” all other games after pale in comparison.
Scene It! 3rd edition and Where the Wild Things Are, are two games I’m looking forward to, to kick off my holiday season. Not only do you get a fun game based off of a classic, but a great party game as well that the family can enjoy.