Gadgetoid

by Johnus Maximus

There’s not much in my life that warrants getting up before 7am on a day off, not even the potential to grind some more achievements whilst having a bacon and egg butty and a huge mug of tea will make me rise from my pit before lunchtime.

In the last weekend of October all this changed, as it was time for the second annual Eurogamer Expo, situated at Old Billingsgate on the bank of the Thames. Read on for my thoughts and feelings on the event.

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Review by Johnus Maximus

If you’re a Wii owner and looking for a cheap and easy action adventure game, then look no further than Rygar: The Battle of Argus. Developed by Team Tachyon and published by Tecmo, this is a repackaging of a game released in 2002 for the PS2, with very little to differentiate it from the original.

Although its original release was received well, the success of games such as Devil May Cry and God of War have raised the bar quite high. Poor camera work, uninteresting combat and a half-baked attempt at incorporating the Wii motion controls mean Rygar falls way short of the standard.

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Review by Johnus Maximus

When a strange meteor crash lands on Earth a new breed of platform gaming characters are born - the Mushroom Men. Released in March for the Nintendo Wii, The Spore Wars tells the tale of Pax, a small town fungus forced to become an unlikely hero in a civil war.

Developed by Red Fly Studio and published by SouthPeak Games, this game doesn’t really cover any new ground as far as platform gaming is concerned, but is a really enjoyable game with a truly unique style.

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By Ken Bool

Opoona is a role-playing game developed by ArtePiazza and published by Koei for the Wii. It was released in September 2008 and is an exclusive to Wii title that is easy to play and suitable for ages 7 and up but enjoyable for all to play and watch with a soundtrack produced by Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII) it keeps you involved and you don’t want to let go.

The player follows the story of Opoona a descendant of the brave cosmo guard as he attempts to find the location of his family from which he was separated after the occurrence of a mysterious accident during their travels.

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By Ken Bool

Samba De Amigo was released on the 26th September in the UK and is The first entirely Wii based rhythm driven game. Developed by Gearbox Software and Published by Sega the game was sure to be very popular with all audiences.

The game was originally released back in 1999 by Sega in Arcades and then released on the Dreamcast in 2000 before being given a makeover by Gearbox Software and released on the Wii in 2008. This Latin music based rhythm game will make you want to shake your maraca’s until the sun goes down and then on even longer.

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Review by Stirky!

Harvest Moon: Magical Melody, Released in March 2008, is a construction and Management simulation game for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS suitable and enjoyable for ages 3 and up.

Developed by Marvelous Interactive and published by Rising Star Games (No More Heroes, Super Swing Golf), There was no question that the game would be enjoyable to play but make sure you have plenty of time to play it.. Over to you Kirsty!

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Baroque, Developed by Sting Entertainment and published by Rising Star Games, was originally released on the Sega Saturn back in 1999, but has been updated and re-released for the Wii and PS2.

Suitable for ages 12 and up, get ready to get Emo! Close the curtains; part the side fringe and stop smiling… we’re about to get serious!

The game is a dark and sinister RPG that takes place following a world-altering cataclysm called the Blaze that took place on May 14, 2032. The world, now existing in a twisted state, is populated by creatures that were once human but that have lost their hearts and minds to the Baroques inside them. (Hence the clever name!) You play the Protagonist, a young man who carries the burden of a sin he cannot recall. He’s lost his memories and cannot speak.

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SUPER SMASH BROS BRAWL!!

Super Smash Bros Brawl is one of the big named games to hit the Wii in 2008 and needless to say, it lives up to all expectations.
Super Smash Bros Brawl (or SSBB as I will call it from now on) was released for no other platform than the Wii; hence I have the awesome job of reviewing it. SSBB was developed by Sora and Published by Nintendo, it’s the Third game in the Super Smash Bros series, with new characters, new levels, new missions and new bad guys as the game goes through.

When I first heard about SSBB I decided that it was a title that would need looking into so on that note, I had a look to see what people thought of it. The findings were impressive, so I decided it was about time I got a copy and reviewed it, so would you believe it that there just happened to be a copy floating around to be reviewed, what luck!

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King of Clubs

King of Clubs is a British title by Oxygen Studios which was released for the Wii, DS, PSP and PC in which you have to tackle… a golf course!
Its story involves a rich Elvis-like man named “Big Bubba” who opens a themed crazy golf course. The game features 96 holes set in 5 different environment themes. Each environment theme has its own resident ‘Course Pro’ resplendent in suitably themed fancy dress costume.
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Review by Ken Bool

Released for the Wii in May 2008, Secret Files: Tunguska is a ‘point and click’ adventure thriller developed by Keen Games and published by Deep Silver. The story centres on the disappearance of scientist at the time of the Tunguska event of 1908.

The game is also available on the PC and DS and offers a rich story with plenty of puzzle solving and is reminiscent of the style of adventures games that you don’t see so much of any more.

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