The Simpsons (PS3)

December 20, 2007 | By Doug In PS3 |

The Simpsons (PS3)
Customer Review: The Simpsons (PS3)
For a Simpsons console game its quite good, even managing to preserve something of the humour from the shows

Customer Review: fun to be had if you perservere
Like many Simpsons fans out there, I was hoping that this would be the title to turn it around for America’s favorite animated family in the video game arena. With two-player co-op and a focus on the humor that has made the show a primetime staple since 1989, The Simpsons Game has everything a fan could want…but not everything it needs to be a fun, interesting game.

The biggest problem is illustrated through one of the game’s funniest features: the clich?. As you jump and punch your way through each mission, you will encounter hackneyed video game traditions like giant saw blades and pressure pads. Then the Comic Book Guy pops up and calls attention to the blatant unoriginality of these devices (”Ah, the crate. As seen in everything.”). While this almost always gets a laugh, pointing out clich?s doesn’t make them any more fun to play.

The development team clearly knew that basic switch puzzles and time trials are tiresome, yet the player is forced to endure them. Even though the goals themselves are sometimes funny, the generic combat and platforming rarely make them fun to complete. There are also dozens of stupid collectibles like coupons and bottlecaps scattered throughout the world. Trust me, they are not worth picking up.

I know that I’m not making the game sound great - it isn’t - but the important distinction here is unlike most mediocre platformers, you are actually rewarded for bullying through the levels. The comedy is so pervasive and well done that it still makes you want to keep going just to hear a good one-liner or see the next hilarious parody. This is the first licensed game I’ve seen that captures the essence of its source material so well; it sometimes feels like you are playing an episode of the show (albeit with poor cinematography).

For all of its self-referential humour and nods to gaming classics (there are brief segments mimicking the likes of Frogger, Missle Command, Space Invaders, and Wolfenstein 3D), the process of actually playing The Simpsons Game is unfortunately average. The chuckles along the way make it worth the trouble for fans, but unless you’re the most ardent Simpson’s fan then of the game’s redeeming elements will fall on deaf, bored ears.

Rock Band Flying Off Store Shelves
GameSHOUT - MTV Networks said that its new video game Rock Game is flying off the shelves of retail outlets in its first week of sales. A spokesperson of MTV said that they are seeing a lot of action with the downloads at rockband.com as well. Rock Band is the

Despite what you’ve heard about the dumbing down
Brandweek - By August, Nintendo sold 400,000 units, which was roughly the same sell-through as Xbox 360 (268,000) and Sony PS3 (131,000) combined, per NPD. And, Wii shortages are expected to continue throughout the holiday season as Nintendo struggles to keep up

Spider-Man 3 [UMD Mini for PSP] [2007]

How does Spider-Man 3 follow on the heels of its predecessor, which was widely considered the best superhero movie ever? For starters, you pick up the loose threads from that movie, then add some key elements of the Spidey comic book mythos (including fan-favourite villain Venom), the black costume, and the characters of Gwen Stacy and her police captain father.

In the beginning, things have never looked better for Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire): He’s doing well in school; his alter ego, Spider-Man, is loved and respected around New York City. And his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), has just taken a starring role in a Broadway musical. But nothing good can last for Spidey. Mary Jane’s career quickly goes downhill; she’s bothered by Peter’s attractive new classmate, Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard); and the new Daily Bugle photographer, Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), is trying to steal his thunder. Enter a new villain, the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), who can transform his body into various forms and shapes of sand and who may be connected to Peter’s past in an unexpected way. There’s also the son of an old villain, Harry Osborne (James Franco), who unmasked Spidey in the previous movie and still has revenge on his mind. And a new black costume seems to boost Spidey’s powers, but transforms mild-mannered Peter into a mean and obnoxious boor (Maguire has some fun here).

If that sounds like a lot to pack into one 140-minute film, it is. While director Sam Raimi keeps things flowing, assisted on the screenplay by his brother Ivan and Alvin Sargent, there’s a little too much going on, and it’s inevitable that one of the villains (there are three or four, depending on how you count) gets significantly short-changed. Still, the cast is excellent, the effects are fantastic, and the action is fast and furious. Even if Spider-Man 3 isn’t the match of Spider-Man 2, it’s a worthy addition to the megamillion-dollar franchise. –David Horiuchi

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Starter Kit (PSP/PSP Slim)
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Sony PSP (Hypnotized Kid, Lollypop, Original Promo) Framed Art Poster Print - 27″ X 40″
This original poster is a promo for the Sony PSP. It shows a hypnotized kid holding his PSP like a lollypop and licking it. This poster measures approx. 27″ x 40″ The PlayStation Portable, officially abbreviated as PSP, is a handheld game console released and manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, the United States and Canada on March 24, 2005 and in Europe and Australia on September 1, 2005. In addition to playing PlayStation Portable games and downloadable games, the PSP also offers multimedia playback (audio and video), as well as WiFi.