ShareThisBy CHRIS CAMPBELL
Scripps Howard News Service
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
"Bust-A-Move Bash!"
Platform: Wii
Genre: Puzzle
Publisher: Majesco
ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone
Grade: 1 star out of 5
"Bust-A-Move Bash!" suffers from the same problems as the recent "Tetris Evolution": If you offer a full-priced game with only one puzzle game and very little in terms of depth and variety, is it really worth it?
The answer depends on how much you love, in this case, popping all those bubbles.
It is a tragedy that "Bash!" is so bland. When Majesco released a "Bust-A-Move" game on the DS not long ago, it felt right, and the game had a tight consistency that fit well with that platform. But here, the game is overblown and lacks the style and substance to push it past anything more than a passing fancy.
This game tries horribly to use the Wii Remote and its motion controls to add a bit of spice. But even this is handled poorly. The controls never work properly and you end up shooting bubbles all over place, never gaining any control. There are several different control schemes, but somehow none of them seems to be the right one.
You need to have a deep love of "Bust-A-Move" to find happiness in "Bash!" Otherwise, this is another game that would have been better to download online to play than pay the retail price.
"Pokemon Diamond & Pokemon Pearl"
Platform: DS
Genre: Role-playing
Publisher: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone
Grade: 3.5 stars
It's remarkable how long the Pokemon craze has lasted. As kids turn to teens and teens to adults, you'd think the momentum of this franchise would fade. Instead, it thrives as it ages, and gamers who enjoyed it years and years ago still have fun with it.
"Pokemon Diamond & Pokemon Pearl" are technically two different games, with several Pokemon characters unique to each cartridge. Once you dive in, the two games are 98 percent identical in game play. If you have time, and enjoy the RPG style Pokemon delivers, you will not be disappointed here.
The main thrust is collecting Pokemon and engaging in tons of turn-based battles to level characters up, and then trading your Pokemon with other players for new ones, giving you the ability to have a constantly rotating arsenal. There's a lot of online accessibility with "Diamond & Pearl," giving the games much more depth than previous ones in the franchise.
Visually, the game is far above its GBA predecessors -- the only thing missing is perhaps Prince's fitting "Diamonds and Pearls" song as intro music.
"Pocket Pool"
Platform: PSP
Genre: Sports
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
ESRB Rating: M, for Mature
Grade: One-half star
If you don't know the first thing about pool, don't play this game. If you don't know what "pocket pool" means in popular culture, ask the nearest teenager. If you are a self-respecting male, don't play this game. If you are a self-respecting member of the human race, don't play this game.
Seriously, how bad is it that a billiards game can't even get the billiards right? It's pool! This is not exactly "Halo 3" or anything. Take a cue stick, hit it into ball, ball goes into pocket.
Who knew this could be so difficult to make into a video game? But here the ball never goes where it should, and the controls are not fluid enough for you to consistently gauge how hard to hit the cue ball.
And while we're here, we also have to address the sad state of affairs that is "Pocket Pool's" visuals. They consist mainly of you playing games, and unlocking horrendous videos of half-naked women posing or "dancing" to your supposed delight. That these "women" are not even Hustler material is neither here nor there; "Pocket Pool" is not something they should put on their modeling resume.
Owning this game is like bringing your own cue to the local bar to play against your friends. Not cool.
(Contact Chris Campbell at game_on_games(at)mac.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.net)
