- Publisher: Namco Bandai
- Platform: Nintendo Wii
- MSRP: $46.98~
Wii Active Life Extreme Challenge
It’s a strange time we’re in when playing video games is more exhausting than jogging a couple of times around the block. Nintendo Wii’s “Active Life Extreme Challenge” is one of those video games and the general consensus around the office is that it made us sweat way more than the Wii Fit. “Active Life Challenge” will have you climbing, jumping, boating, riding and essentially all things that will really get you up and moving… and sometimes even down on the floor like kayaking. Graphically the game’s not too impressive but adequate for what it is. Some of the games were a little hard to understand, but all in all, it was pretty easy to use right out of the box and mostly straight forward. The nice big game pad is a nice bonus and a blast for anyone who has a special place in their heart for Dance Dance Revolution. There are a variety of actual sports (I guess jump roping is a sport?) and best of all, no basic boring exercises and no yoga. “Active Life” works well as a single player and even better as a party game. It’s good fun that’ll get your heart pumping and your friends laughing with you (and hopefully not at you).
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- Publisher: Namco Bandai
- Platform: Sony PSP
- MSRP: $36.99~
Tekken 6
If you like the Tekken series and own a PSP, Tekken 6 is a must own game as it takes the concept of console porting to the next level. The game features a massive character roster that’s unlocked from the start and comes with several modes: Arcade, Story, Challenge, Practice, as well as a network option. For this review, I spent most of my time in the regular Arcade mode as I’ve always been more of a pure “fighter” than a gamer who cared about the different gaming modes. Visually, this game looks fantastic as a PSP port. The characters and the dozen plus stages are all vibrant and sharp. Control wise, it handles similarly to the PS3, buttons are responsive and the D-pad works well. This is important especially for a technical game like Tekken where timing plays a big role in combos and air juggles. The game also features unlockables such as character art and movies — nothing too impressive, but a nice bonus to make single player more interesting. I am also happy to report that there were no untimely lags during a fight, and the loading time wasn’t too excessive for such an ambitious port. In the end, Tekken 6 is perhaps the most definitive Tekken game and the most complete fighter currently available for the PSP. Tekken: Dark Resurrection may have set the bar, but Tekken 6 has definitely raised it. Bandai Namco’s Tekken 6 for the PSP stands up extremely well to its console brethren, and is a fighter not to be missed.
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- Publisher: Namco Bandai
- Platform: Nintendo Wii
- MSRP: $33.43~
Dragon Ball Revenge of Piccolo
I have to say, I first thought this game was going to suck. I’ve never been a fan of Dragon Ball games, but this one was a blast. Instead of the stale old fighter platform that you usually get, this is a fun and vibrant side scroller that is more reminiscent of an updated version of Battle Toads. Of course, if you are looking for a classic DB fighter, you’ve got that as well in Tournament mode. Either way, this game is a hidden gem for the holiday season. Parents, just keep in mind that this is Dragon Ball, not Dragon Ball Z, GT, or whatever else they are calling the cartoons now. That means that this is the original story when the main character, Goku, from the other cartoons is still just a kid. Actually, from a cartoon standpoint, that was the best series anyways. While this game may not be for everyone, it’s good in its own right and the demographic it is targeting.
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