MADDEN NFL 08 (E)
Rating: ****1/2
EA Sports Xbox 360
The Madden franchise seemed to lose quite a few yards in the first quarter of the new console generation, but with Madden NFL 08, the series has regained possession of the ball and is again moving in the right direction. Not only has the list of features and extras returned to the almost excessive level of the last-gen Maddens, but the gameplay is smoother and more detailed than ever.
The new Read and React system highlights the talents of star players, so you know whether or not your chosen receiver has the skill to make a miraculous catch, which should thrill stat-memorizing NFL fans. But even casual players will find that the controls are remarkably responsive. That’s because player animations are much more fluid than in years past. Instead of being forced to watch an entire canned juke animation before your subsequent button press kicks in, your player can smoothly segue from a partial juke to a spin without any lag. The online play could use some added depth, but with so many improvements to Madden 08’s single-player game, I suppose EA needed to leave something to shoot for with Madden 09.
BRAIN AGE 2: MORE TRAINING IN MINUTES A DAY (E)
Rating: ***1/2
Nintendo Nintendo DS
My addiction to the Brain Age games is baffling even to me. The presentation is bland, the gameplay is straight out of an SAT, and I can barely set the game down long enough to write this review. Even when the persistent flaws in the DS’s voice and handwriting recognition cause the game to dismiss me as having the brain of a 60-year-old, I can still enjoy the most user-friendly format for Sudoku puzzles ever.
DRAGONEER’S ARIA (E10+)
Rating: ***
NIS America PlayStation Portable
At first glance, this tale of an androgynous hero fighting to protect peaceful dragons seems like yet another derivative, manga-style RPG. What separates Dragoneer’s Aria from the rest of the heap, however, is its characters. Your companions -- a healer, a pirate captain and an elf -- all have memorable and often hilarious dialogue. You’ll find yourself actually caring about the characters for a change, even when one calls you a “girlish manfriend.”
THE SETTLERS (E)
Rating: *1/2
Ubisoft Nintendo DS
Thanks to the DS’s point-and-tap style of gameplay, a lot of PC games have successfully made the transition to the two tiny screens. Civilization-building games are not among them. Like SimCity DS, The Settlers is simply too big to comfortably fit into a puny handheld. The stylus is too big and clumsy for precision commands, and key aspects of the game remain frustratingly vague without a clear tutorial. I bet life wasn’t even this tough for the real settlers.
When Las Vegas Weekly contributor Matthew Scott Hunter realized his career as a lab technician was seriously interfering with his gaming, he pink-slipped himself into a successful career as a freelance writer. Bug the hell out of him at [email protected]