Strategy/Sim

According to ESRB, this game contains: Violence

Game Description: Based on the epic novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the genre defining series depicts the massive battles ignited by the fall of the Han Dynasty when three rebellious states moved to overthrow the Emperor of China. Featuring a new proprietary combat engine, Dynasty Warriors 6 delivers the exhilaration of single-handedly destroying thousands of soldiers on massive fields of combat. The lightning-fast, kung-fu fighting, fluid motion-captured animation, intuitive combat system and immersive environments create an unparalleled gaming experience, and push the limits of tactical action.

A while back I went to see the film Juno. I'd heard good things, and Jason Bateman was in it, so "what the hell", I thought. Then, just a few minutes into the film, someone (I don't remember if it was annoying girl or slutty friend) said "Honest to Blog". And then all I could feel was hatred, eating away at my soul and humanity. I turned to the friend sitting next to me and said "The only way this won't be the worst film I see this year is if, by the last ten minutes, it's somehow become a movie about Werewolves with rocket launchers battling Robots on motorcycles." Needless to say, this did not happen, and the film went on to be depressingly dull.

Why am I writing about this here, on a game review site? Well, allow me to post this picture from the Magic Box, the only place to go for pictures of Japanese games that may never come out in North America:

You're not seeing things. That's a werewolf with a rocket launcher. When I first saw pictures of this game late last year, it was like all my fondest dreams of werewolves launching rockets were coming true. According to my therapist, those dreams represent my contentious relationship with my grocer. I suspect my therapist isn't very good at his job.

In this age of eye-melting blockbusters and ever-more complex ways to simulate real-world physics, it's refreshing to come back to something that flies in the face of current trends. Striking out in its own direction, I'm sure that the vast majority of 360 owners will take one look at Culdcept Saga, shake their heads, and move on to something that's pushing a lot more polygons and fits neatly into one of the established, popular genres.

Game Description: The merging of board game and trading card game brings a unique, engrossing multiplayer experience to the Xbox 360 in Culdcept Saga. Join the journey of a powerful queen and a young boy who must fight for their world. The boy, endowed with the power of a Cepter, or one who can control magical cards, battle monsters and nefarious adversaries in an attempt to bring peace back to the land. Conquer the elements, takeover lands, and defeat your foes. You are a Cepter. Your cards are your weapons.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, and Suggestive Themes

Heroes of Mana feels like Dawn of Mana, take two. It's gorgeous and somewhat interesting, but undermined by basic flaws in its ability to let players see what's going on. Here's hoping there's no take three in the works.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Language, Mild Fantasy Violence