13 posts tagged “viva pinata”
Now that the shock and "Aww, I can't believe Zelda didn't get anything" is over, it's time for the main event! There are a few new awards this year along with all the old favorites. Let's do this!
The Beyond Good and Evil Award
This highly prestigious award is given to the title which excelled in its field this year, yet managed to do it without gaining any profitable attention. Previous winners of this award include the namesake Beyond Good and Evil, Rallisport Challenge 2 and Stubbs the Zombie.
Viva Pinata (360)
Runner-Up: Every Extend Extra (PSP)
This is the second time in which the game of the year winner was also a complete and utter commercial failure (Beyond Good and Evil). While the nature of Viva Pinata means that it can have longer legs than most, its first month on the shelves was extremely disappointing and everyones loss.
The P.N.03 Award for Worst Game Ever
The P.N.03 award is handed to the worst game of the year. Be it plagued by shoddy development, a terrible idea or just being an overall mess, this title strived to be the absolute worst of the worst. P.N.03 may not have been the worst game of all time, but boy did it sure suck. Previous winners of this award include the namesake P.N.03, Fight Club and Psychotoxic.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire (PS3)
Runner-Up: Sonic the Hedgehog (360), Far Cry Vengeance (Wii)
It was a neck to neck race between Gundam and Sonic the Hedgehog, but nothing brought people together in both laughter and tears quite like Mobile Suit Gundam. The first time it was booted up within the 1UP offices, folks gathered around to witness it's sheer baditude. My head nearly popped from laughing so hard. There are epic games and then there are epic games. This one is the latter.
The Sin and Punishment Award
Named after the hideous, boring N64 shooter from Tresure, the Sin and Punishment award is reserved for the the title which claimed the hearts of "hardcore" fanboys around the world, despite the game being utter garbage or quite frankly, nothing special. Previous winners of this award include Ikaruga, Katamari Damacy and Shadow of the Colossus.
God Hand (PS2)
This is typically the manchild award -- reserved for games that pseudo-intellectual Japanophile basement dwellers lavish with praise despite the games' mediocre trappings, but this year was different. There was no game for this group of people to latch on to and declare "art". Instead, I just had to go with a game that was so awful, yet still highly praised by the kids who like anything Japanese for the sake of it being Japanese. Congratulations, God Hand. You're a 3 out of 10 hero!
Best Game That Rocked and Was Supposed to Suck
Super Princess Peach (DS)
Here we have a game where you're the most useless character ever -- a woman, who is armed with a magical umbrella and must rely on a chemical imbalance in order to conquer evil. Wait, why was this supposed to suck again? This sounds great! And it was!
Best Game That Sucked and Was Supposed to Rock
New Super Mario Bros (DS)
Completely unlike this piece of trash! The "New" in New Super Mario Bros is a misnomer. Were there anything new or particularly interesting about it, I wouldn't have fallen asleep with the DS in my lap. Not once, but twice. And I don't recall ever having fallen asleep due to a game before. Quite possibly, the most safe game ever created.
Most Worthless Game in 2006
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (PSP)
Runner-Up: Phantasy Star Universe (Multi)
This one boggled my mind. For the first time since Tekken 3, the King of Iron Fist Tournament had become a media darling once more. The press loved it, the players loved it and by god, the upgrade to Dark Resurrection was awesome. Instead of rushing it to a console audience quick to gobble it up, they instead stuck it on the PSP. Words can not rationalize that logic. It was an unbelievably solid port. . but why the Hell did Namco-Bandai do this? The future Playstation Network release of Dark Resurrection helped push it over the content challenged Phantasy Star Universe.
Dead in 2006
Wii Jokes
Runner-Up: Sega
"Wii check out Nintendo's latest!"
"This game is Wiily fresh!"
"C'mon everybody! It's a Wiikend!"
The second the sign over the urinal, instructing people where to Wii went down, the jokes should have stopped. It has gotten out of control and not only has it made the press gone retarded, but now the creepy Nintnendo fans (see: above) have an even creepier way to force the gospel down everyones throat. The dream is dead, folks. Go back to talking like normal human beings now.
Mr. and Mrs. 2006
Kaz Hirai and Cooking Mama
He is the new President of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and is known for such fabulous lines as, "The essence of the Playstation DNA is real change and the consumers are ready." She taught the world that the kitchen isn't just for women, but gamers as well! Together, they can probably whip up a great RIIIIIIDGE RACER themed cake. Mr. and Mrs. 2006!
Best WTF of 2006
Dragon Quest IX Goes Portable
Runner-Up: Halo 3 Beta Announced
Aside from the knowledge that we'll be playing Halo 3 months ahead of time, the announcement that the Dragon Quest series will be moving to a portable platform was without a doubt, the biggest story of the year. Minds were blown. Pitchforks were raised. And the future of gaming was changed. . FOREVER!
In Japan, anyways.
Worst WTF of 2006
The Sony E3 Conference
Runner-Up: Sega, officially dead to me.
RIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RACER!
And now, ladies and gentlemen, I leave you with your quote of the year by Mr. Ken Kutaragi.
See you next match!
The fourth annual ____ Of the Year Awards are upon us! A celebration of the past year in gaming, the awards pay tribute to the games that truly excelled at their craft, as well as those that probably should have never of been released. The awards managed to get Slashdotted last year, so maybe this year someone will just come and throw a rock through my window. Who knows. Let the ceremony begin!
Game of the Year: Viva Pinata (360)
Runner-Up: Elite Beat Agents (DS)
The most underrated and important title this year, Viva Pinata exuded raw brilliance that few games can match. It single handedly redeemed Rare as a competent developer and provided the XBOX 360 with something beyond shooting space marines in the face.
The media loves to pick apart Viva Pinata for missing its primary demographic, amongst other superfluous complaints, but the bullying is never for anything related to the actual design of the game. With incredibly addictive gameplay and depth to spare, Viva Pinata stood head and shoulders above all other titles. I've said it before and I'll say it again. . If you don't like Viva Pinata, you simply have not played it.
Portable Game of the Year: Elite Beat Agents (DS)
Runner-Ups: Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS), Daxter (PSP)
A game that a nation of a million Japanophiles couldn't hold back, Elite Beat Agents not only scored with camp value, but it also managed to best it's Japanese counter-part, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan in every conceivable way. That last bit of hype may be hard to swallow for some, but you're also probably white and, news flash, you'll never be Japanese.
Online Game of the Year Uno (360)
Runner-Up: Myst Online: Uru Live
This is the part of the awards where you start to say to yourselves, "You know? 2006 wasn't that great of a year." With games like Gears of War lacking in functionality and half of the free worlds population still playing World of Warcraft, it was up to freakin' Uno to pick up the slack. No offense to Uno, because it's great. . but seriously, Uno?
Action Game of the Year: Dead Rising (360)
No runner-up here. Raw action games were tough to find amongst the hybrids of shooters and adventures and whatnot, but Dead Rising picked up the slack. It's the ultimate homage to the zombie films of yesterday and despite a few flaws (running and shooting anyone?), wading through a crowd of zombies with an umbrella is nothing but sheer joy.
Shooter of the Year: Gears of War (360)
Not to take away from the brilliantly crafted Gears of War, but this was an ugly year for shooters. The Tom Clancy titles, Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six couldn't create an identity of their own. Half-Life 2: Episode 1 would have been great if Episode 2 were right around the corner. . but now it's simply Half-Life 3 in chunks. Prey. . anyone remember Prey? Red Steel? Hah. I'm just messing with you. This was definitely not a good year for shooters.
Adventure Game of the Year: Okami (PS2)
Runners-Up: Bully (PS2), Tomb Raider Legend (360)
Seeing as how Zelda was too busy being the exact same game you've played ten times over (now with waggle-tech!), Okami filled in quite nicely. It also just so happened to be Studio Clover's first great game! Pow! Suddenly, throngs of manchildren have lifted from their seats, wiped the nacho residue from the fingers and declared war.
But seriously, Okami is great! Really!
Role-Playing Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (360)
Runner-Up: Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
Last year, Dragon Quest VIII took this honor as the first Japanese RPG since the SNES days that I actually liked. This is, obviously, the return of Western muscle as the flagship of the cause floored just about everyone. Horse armor aside, Oblivion has also been used as the trial and error monkey of microtransactions, but even those have turned out fine.
Racing Game of the Year: Pocketbike Racer (XBOX)
Again, 2006 was seriously not that great of a year for games. With the exception of Namco-Bandai's The Fast and the Furious, I was not compelled to play a racing title for more than 15 minutes this year. And I love racing games. So why did the best one have to come with a double Whopper? It's just not right!
Sports Game of the Year: Fight Night Round 3 (360)
Runner-Up: SmackDown! vs Raw 2006
Typically known as the "NCAA Football Award", this is the first year that it has not won this award. Fight Night, aside from being the proving ground for "Next-Gen Gaming", Fight Night rebounded from a disappointing Round 2 to deliver a truly spectacular experience.
Fighting Game of the Year: Melty Blood: Act Cadenza (PS2)
Unfortunately: We're still playing more 3rd Strike than anything.
The fighting genre is effectively dead. You could count all the fighting games released this year on one hand, including this import gem, Melty Blood. Sure, less people play this in America than Virtua Fighter, but we'll worry about that one next year.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for the Special Awards! Who will take home the coveted P.N.0.3 Award for Worst Game Ever? What was the quote of the year? Which comment will have fanboys and manchildren alike booing and hissing from their mothers basement? Find out tomorrow!
The January issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly marks my first inclusion into the core Review Crew, which means I got to finally stick my face in the magazine as opposed to sitting on the side with a credit. Funny enough, this will only be the second time I've appeared with picture in EGM, 1UP Show advertising aside. The first being years ago in response to a need for more movies based on video games in which I vouched for Max Payne. Looking back, it's pretty silly.
Writing for EGM is still my favorite gig. Every issue that I see my work in, I can't help but think back to my rambunctious youth in which my friends and I would sit around and say, "Wouldn't it be cool to write reviews for EGM someday?"
For living a dream, however small it may be, I consider myself very fortunate. Thanks Greg, Jennifer, Shane, Shoe and everyone else at EGM who puts up with me. You guys rock.
The Vox hasn't been getting much love this week, due to the hectic and entirely left field workload I found myself under with 1UP. Through features, reviews, previews. . You name it, I was pounding away at it. Somehow, I found the time to sneak into two segments of this weeks 1UP Show, which is now available for download. So if you'd like to see me wax awkward poetry about Elite Beat Agents and Viva Pinata, see below.
That would also be me playing Elite Beat Agents. I'd like to apologize in advance for what, I feel, is a ridiculous amount of greats during the "Jumping Jack Flash" portion. Playing on a DS Fatty dev unit is no easy task. Aside from the multitude of hand jobs I've dispensed regarding Viva Pinata lately, I've managed to find the time to start yet another character in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It is currently my anti-drug regarding MMO's as I'm officially on the Burning Crusade bandwagon.
It's the plant beasts introduced in Outland that did it for me. Beasts that can then be skinned by herbalists towards alchemy? Consider my fifteen bucks a month surrendered.
Believe.
Today was all about the Playstation 3. Whether people were writing about the PS3, playing the PS3 or even standing in line for a PS3 -- despite the overall indifference towards Sony's new console, everyone today seemed to be dealing with it. Strolling into the office late, I missed Sony's latest blunder and instead locked myself in a room with one and got to work.
After about an hour of playing, I managed to tweak my wrist in an attempt to utilize the Sixaxis (This is the one time you'll actually see me refer to the controller as that) in a game. I can't exactly say what was going on, but it involved rotating the controller around while holding down a button. 4-D gaming is truly here. Luckily, Karen and Sharkey had a mission: to deliver a set of chairs to our friends and mortal enemies over at GameSpy, currently a few blocks away at the Metreon and camping out for a PS3.
Oh. One of those jerks is also her fiance. Hi Patrick!
Carrying a pair of Vice City Stories chairs, we used the time and inspiration to cook up more than a few terrible ideas for tomorrow. The weekly podcast, 1UP Yours, will be broadcast live from the Playstation Store tomorrow and the rest of us will be there loitering. I'm hoping to wear Sam's Wii costume and interview the kids.
Back at the office, pizza had arrived for both 1UP and EGM. A few of us gathered in the demo room to check out the Playstation 3 pack-in, Talladega Nights on Blu-Ray. A few rounds of "shake and bake!" later, someone walked in and asked, "How many pees is this?"
"1080" I replied.
"Man. That looks like ass."
What's on your Top 5 video games list?
Submitted by mileena.
Ah, a generic video games QotD! I'm going to be anal and split this up between my current top five and my all-time top five. Both of which are in no particular order.
Current Top Five Video Games
- Viva Pinata - Rare, XBOX 360
- Elite Beat Agents - iNIS, Nintendo DS
- Marathon 2: Durandal - Bungie, Mac
- Gears of War - Epic, XBOX 360
- Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime - Square-Enix, Nintendo DS
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Capcom, Arcade
- Super Mario Bros - Nintendo, NES
- Halo 2, Bungie, XBOX
- Sam & Max: Hit The Road, Lucasarts, PC
- Mars Matrix, Capcom, Dreamcast
Halo 2 in there is obvious. I believe I've blogged about the impact that Sam & Max made on me as a kid growing up so we don't need to go into that. And while I'm nowhere near being some insane Dreamcast fan that won't let go, Mars Matrix struck the perfect balance between being a ridiculously hardcore shooter while not being overly pretentious.
Thanks, Mileena.
On my desk lies a notepad, flipped to a page that contains a list of articles that need to be written up. Mainly consisting of Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii launch reviews, the list is a venerable gauntlet of this holiday season, some of which still require a trip into the office. The problem lies not in getting off my butt and into the city, but in what I picked up this past Friday night. While I was up and out of bed early everyday this weekend, I immediately gravitated towards the television and proceeded to be lulled into a vegetable-like, euphoric state.
Viva Pinata is simply that addicting.
I had already managed to dump a good twenty hours into Viva Pinata a few weeks ago and I had thought that would have prevented me from having a weekend long pinata binge. Once I got the game in my hand, however, the real achievements started to roll in, friends got online and I was done for. It had become impossible to say, "Well, I'll breed these two over here and be done for now." due to the chain reaction nature of design which can easily trap you into playing for much, much longer then you had ever intended. Right now, My XBOX 360 sits idle, because I was foolish enough to turn it on upon awaking -- Shelby already online and working on her garden.
Since I'm now on the EGM review for Viva Pinata, I don't want to say too much as to spoil it. John Davison, who is also on the review, has been blogging about it throughout the weekend. I planned to do that as well, but unfortunately, playing almost literally nonstop for the past two days prevented me from doing this. As someone with kids to try it out on, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Johns final word on the matter.
As for myself, I'd better pull out of the garden at some point today and get some work done. There is something to be said about a game that, for the first time in what feels like forever, I actually want to play for this long, regardless of how many hours I've already poured into it.
Since Viva Pinata has arrived, nothing else has entered my 360. Take that, bald space marines!
The next two days will almost feel like an honest day of work as I'll be taking over for Chris Kohler and the Wired Games Blog while he and seemingly everybody else I know is up in Washington, schmoozing it up with Nintendo and playing Twilight Princess until they puke. I, obviously, don't care about that last part as Chris explains in his farewell post-
To entertain you in my absence, I have enlisted 1up writer Jared Rea to come in and blog tomorrow and Friday. Mostly this is because he invited me to see Jenny Lewis and I owe him one. Also because he's an Xbot who says he'll buy all three versions of Halo 3, and even likes Viva Pinata. So, that should be an interesting change of pace around here...
It's true. No, not that first part. I'm about as free from bias as you can get in this industry (Although I do seem to raise a brow at any PSP title still in development) but it's not about that. I will buy all three versions of Halo because I am weak to Bungie. If they had released three different, barely distinguishable versions of Marathon, I would have bought all of those too. Should they come up with a fourth featuring an autographed photo of Marty O'Donnel and Joel Staten in an arm wrestling contest, I'll buy that too.
As for Viva Pinata, I don't have to defend that. Its absolutely fantastic and a complete shame that it polarizes the weeaboo crowd so much.
Wink.
Where I would merely be dazzled by the candy-colored sights before my eyes, I am now completely and utterly baffled. Screenshots of Rare's Viva Pinata are now an intangible puzzle of gardening perfection as I can confidently say that I have dumped more hours into the game then just about every other journalist combined. With the preview in the can along with an embargo lifted, I can pretty much say anything about what is possibly my favorite game of the year.
What I can say is that Microsoft is in quite a pickle.
I'd like to be able to say that there is no apparent flaw to Viva Pinata, but I'd just be hiding behind my pinata defense force shield. The problem is, unfortunately, the clear definition as to who Rare was gunning for when producing this title. As the story goes, Viva Pinata began life on a much smaller scale and one that was not brought up to be a children's title at all. While demoing the game tonight for a few of my friends, I found myself using the "Simple" control scheme that was designed for younger players. To put it bluntly, it was completely unplayable.
With a look that's too "childish" for an older demographic and too damned complicated for even the Baby Einstein generation to grasp, who exactly will be playing Viva Pinata? Should everything go according to plan, both.
Much like Lego Star Wars II, Microsoft is hedging on the notion that not only are gamers getting older, but some have actually managed to breed. While the aforementioned game was not exclusive, nor were they involved in the creative process, Microsoft not only heavily advertised Lego Star Wars II but they are also including a demo of it with the Family Edition of Viva Pinata. The motto may be tired and gone, but they still want you to know that its good to play together. It's not a cooperative game by any stretch of the imagination, but the combined effort of two generations can ensure that Rare nails all the key demographics. Though pairing it up alongside Gears of War won't help them much either.
It's really impossible to say as to just how Viva Pinata will perform at registers this holiday season. Games like Gears of War, Rainbow 6: Vegas and Splinter Cell: Double Agent are sure to cannibalize all sales for Microsoft's console, not leaving much left for magical pinata and busty women of fantasy. Even if it doesn't explode out of the gate, a game like Viva Pinata can easily stand the test of time much like other games in the city or life building genre such as Animal Crossing and The Sims. At least Microsoft has one aspect of its launch completely nailed.
The advertising.
"Did we say 10AM?" asks the Microsoft representative.
I woke up at seven in the morning for this appointment -- sprang right out of bed even with the greatest of ease, despite being fueled by a mere two hours of sleep. To avoid the nightmare that is our BART station parking, I took a bus to the train so that I could be there on time. No, better than on time. By the time I got into the Ziff Davis office I had already slugged my way through a line twenty thick of business men and other various sorts of yuppies at the Peet's Coffee downstairs. I even beat the master of ceremonies, Matt Leone to the office.
Viva Pinata was coming.
By the time 10:30AM rolled around, folks were getting agitated. John Davison strolled on in, ready to check out the latest in candy filled cutesy goodness. Being a parent, he very well may be the primary demographic for Viva Pinata -- more so than giddy little tards like me who melt at the sight of colorful, paper mache bunnies prancing through the lush environments. He arrived on the scene just as Matt got Microsoft on the phone.
"We're coming at 2:30PM. Is that alright?" they ask.
And so I hopped on the next train back to Livermore. Followed by the bus to reach my car. Along the way I would not only have a particularly random encounter with an acquaintance that I haven't seen in at least a year, but I would also call just about every game retailer in the area in search for Phantasy Star Universe. Not only had Sega managed to not ship the game on time, but should you buy the PC version, you may not find the game you wanted inside the box. This day -- This day could not get any more awesome.
Cold pizza and a bit of Lego Star Wars later and I'm ready to call it a day. While this is leading to "and if you need me, you can find me dead in the bathtub", this is where the story takes a turn. Like a break in the clouds, Matt pops into my IM window, informing me that not only was the rescheduled Viva Pinata demo a long, tiring ordeal, but they left me a build to take home and play to my hearts content.
So as I type, Viva Pinata spins inside a 360 just over my shoulder.
The remainder of this week will present many challenges. Firstly, I have to do my best to not burn myself out before the game actually ships and I can play it along with everyone else on XBOX Live, as opposed to the cold, cold existence that is PartnerNet. Beyond that, I have to find the time to stop playing it and do a write up. Seeing as how much I absolutely adore this title, I'm plotting more than one.
It took two trips to San Francisco and over 100 miles in a single day, but luring that Mousemallow to my garden (Tippy Tup Garden to you) was so, so worth it.
