Sept 11 - Sept 15

Section: 

You got any money right now? You won't by the end of the week. It seems like just a few weeks ago that we were talking about a summer drought, and now the weekly release list is literally bursting with juicy gaming pulp. I'd love to tell you about our game of the week, but I'm copping out big time and giving the nod to three very different but worthy games. Aside from the 3 highlighted titles, also this week we have Harvest Moon on the DS, Bomberman on the PSP, and Rule of Rose on the PS2. It's a gaming orgy, and everyone is invited no matter how ugly you are! Here are our selections for Game[s] of the Week!

IMAGE(http://www.gametab.com/images/ss/ps2/5643/box.jpg) IMAGE(http://www.gametab.com/images/ss/pc/5577/box.jpg)IMAGE(http://www.gametab.com/images/ss/xbox360/5672/box.jpg)

How you could possibly care what's coming out on DVD on a week like this, I don't know, but it does include the unmolested Star Wars Trilogy, because apparently I need to buy that damn trilogy for the hojillionth time. Also Lucky Number Slevin which I know nothing about, and the second season of NBC's The Office. The rest here.

PC:
Company of Heroes (09/11)
NHL 07 (09/12)
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (09/12)
Joint Task Force (09/12)
Faces of War (09/12)

XBOX360:
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (09/12)
NHL 07 (09/12)
NHL 2K7 (09/12)
Scramble (09/13)

XBOX:
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (09/12)
NHL 07 (09/12)
NHL 2K7 (09/12)

GAMECUBE:
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (09/12)
One Piece: Pirates Carnival (09/12)

PS2:
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (09/12)
NHL 07 (09/12)
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix (09/12)
One Piece: Pirates Carnival (09/12)
NHL 2K7 (09/12)
Rule of Rose (09/12)

GBA:
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (09/12)
Cheetah Girls, The (09/12)
Disney's Little Einsteins (09/12)
My Little Pony: The Runaway Rainbow (09/12)

DS:
Mario Hoops 3 On 3 (09/11)
Harvest Moon DS (09/12)
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (09/12)
Cooking Mama (09/12)
Mech Assault: Phantom War (09/12)
Mega Man ZX (09/12)

PSP:
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (09/12)
Bomberman (09/12)
NHL 07 (09/12)
Bounty Hounds (09/12)
Rengoku II: The Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N. (09/12)

Comments

Lego Star Wars is one of those ideas that makes people go "Why didn't we think of this earlier?" .. better yet, why was it not released on the GameCube until almost a year later? Glad to see they have fixed this, the title should push a ton of units.

Now to find out the goodjer NHL game of choice. But, one question: What the hell is "Cheetah Girl," is it a platformer like Ty the Tasmanian Tiger or Gex? and is she "hot" (videogame standards?)

Cooking Mama sounds interesting. I can't wait to try it out. Of course, I could always go cook something for real... but what would be the fun in that?

Those who like horror should definetly check out Rule of Roses. EGM liked it alot so who knows, it may actually be good.

Company of Heroes for me. The full physics and cover system sells it for me.

Mills wrote:

Now to find out the goodjer NHL game of choice. But, one question: What the hell is "Cheetah Girl," is it a platformer like Ty the Tasmanian Tiger or Gex? and is she "hot" (videogame standards?)

Cheetah Girls is a Disney created girl band/movie. I have a 10 yr old daughter that keeps me aprised of this stuff.

Also, Lego Star Wars II FTW!

----< cheetah girls... um.. oops.. >

I'm with you, Edwin, Company of Heroes has really captured my interest. On sale at Fry's on tuesday!

So did anybody figure out if the unmolested version of the SW DVDs is actually cleaned up like the previous DVD release or is it "we just copied the VHS tape" like they hinted at in a couple of interviews? I can't seem to find any info on it, which makes me a bit wary.

Not that I'll be buying it immediately anyway, but it'd be good to know.

KaterinLHC wrote:

Cooking Mama sounds interesting. I can't wait to try it out. Of course, I could always go cook something for real... but what would be the fun in that?

I'm not sure where, I think it was a 1up podcast, but I heard less than positive things about cooking mama. I'm still keeping my eye on it though. Has anyone actually seen lucky number slevin?

NE1 have any impression on the Lego Star Wars II for the GBA? Thinking about it for the kids as a BDay gift.

If it's anything like Star Wars Lego I for the GBA, it's a no-lose situation.

PyromanFO wrote:

So did anybody figure out if the unmolested version of the SW DVDs is actually cleaned up like the previous DVD release or is it "we just copied the VHS tape" like they hinted at in a couple of interviews? I can't seem to find any info on it, which makes me a bit wary.

Not that I'll be buying it immediately anyway, but it'd be good to know.

The SW DVDs are craptastic
They were made from the laser disc masters... no addditonal clean-up... and for the clincher... it's non-anomorphic... thats right, letterboxed in good ol' 4:3... It seems like lucas just made these out of spite. Son of a.....!

I hear Lego Star Wars 2 is also being released this week on the Atari Lynx and Phillips CD-I

You know..just in case they hadnt missed every platform under the sun.

It seems like lucas just made these out of spite. Son of a.....!

It's a no lose situation for Lucas.

If they sell well then he makes a ton more money and can come back later and produce the Original Trilogy Remastered.

If they sell poorly his can justify the Special Edition Trilogy pointing out that sales prove it's what everyone actually wanted.

Three games of the week aren't fair. If Disgaea 2 didn't get top billing with Saint's Row, a boring hockey game sure doesn't deserve to be next to LEGOs.

Some of the stuff on the remastered versions was good- I think Episode V had the least amount of "offensively stupid cute crap" thrown in. I mean, Episode IV with the desert rats outside the walls of Moss Eisley (sic) and the Jawa falling off the back of the creature in Mose Eisly (sic.) Episode V made the transition perfectly, and still ranks as one of my favorite movies- of course that and a handful of quarters will get my laundry clean.

dumb_kid wrote:

The SW DVDs are craptastic
They were made from the laser disc masters... no addditonal clean-up... and for the clincher... it's non-anomorphic... thats right, letterboxed in good ol' 4:3... It seems like lucas just made these out of spite. Son of a.....!

Laser disc masters were widescreen 2.35:1 , as I am sure these discs will be too. Also, the laser disc versions were already cleaned up, as I am sure these discs will be too.

I saw Lucky Number Slevin with my wife in the theater ages ago. I thought it was very clever and the dialogue was funny, if a little dark and morbid. Definitely not a family film. I think it is one of those films that is better if you go into it with no clue what to expect.

dumb_kid wrote:
PyromanFO wrote:

So did anybody figure out if the unmolested version of the SW DVDs is actually cleaned up like the previous DVD release or is it "we just copied the VHS tape" like they hinted at in a couple of interviews? I can't seem to find any info on it, which makes me a bit wary.

Not that I'll be buying it immediately anyway, but it'd be good to know.

The SW DVDs are craptastic
They were made from the laser disc masters... no addditonal clean-up... and for the clincher... it's non-anomorphic... thats right, letterboxed in good ol' 4:3... It seems like lucas just made these out of spite. Son of a.....!

Yeah, I think there's gonna be alot of people going "wait, what is this crap?" when they open the package if that's the case.

Oh well, there's always ocpmovie's Star Wars Classic Edition.

On a different topic, anyone lookingforward to MechAssault ? Because I sure am. Even though it is a clearly simplified kiddie game with no strategy to its combat whatsoever. I guess you could slap a picture of a Timberwolf on Daikatana and I'd still buy it.

Edwin wrote:

Those who like horror should definetly check out Rule of Roses. EGM liked it alot so who knows, it may actually be good.

I thought that wasn't going to be released in the U.S. due to concerns about some sort of undercurrent of underage sexuality or something. I can't find any old news about it, though, so maybe I was thinking of something else. Anyway, too creepy for me, probably.

I'm going the opposite route: my daughter and I can't wait for Lego Star Wars II.:)

shihonage wrote:
dumb_kid wrote:

The SW DVDs are craptastic
They were made from the laser disc masters... no addditonal clean-up... and for the clincher... it's non-anomorphic... thats right, letterboxed in good ol' 4:3... It seems like lucas just made these out of spite. Son of a.....!

Laser disc masters were widescreen 2.35:1 , as I am sure these discs will be too. Also, the laser disc versions were already cleaned up, as I am sure these discs will be too.

The aspect ratio of the actual film elements on the dvd is indeed 2.35:1. (They are not pan&scan)

However these DVD's come as 4:3. This is non-anomorphic. The film is letterboxed to make it 2.35:1, which means a whole lot of the resolution of the 480 lines of the DVD's are used for the black bars. This format was used for early DVD's.

All modern DVD's come as 16:9. This is anomorphic. The film would again be letterboxed to make it 2.35:1, however this time around you need a lot less of the 480 lines of resolution to make the black bars... leaving more lines of resolution for the actual film elements.

The sad thing is the menus for the "bonus" dvd's are actually anamophic 16:9 but the movie itself is not.

Pyro--- Here's hoping the X0 project comes through... I find I can't watch OCP's stuff because the shift in quality for edited scenes is too jarring and takes me out of the movie.

In other words, you're just complaining about movie resolution, not an actual loss of actual screen space as in "I can't see half of the imperial starship !". IMO non-anamorphic video, when encoded well, looks good enough. Still ways better/cleaner than VHS.

The Fly wrote:
Edwin wrote:

Those who like horror should definetly check out Rule of Roses. EGM liked it alot so who knows, it may actually be good.

I thought that wasn't going to be released in the U.S. due to concerns about some sort of undercurrent of underage sexuality or something. I can't find any old news about it, though, so maybe I was thinking of something else. Anyway, too creepy for me, probably.

I'm going the opposite route: my daughter and I can't wait for Lego Star Wars II.:)

School girls in uniform with guns versus monsters. Maybe a teen lesbian experience thrown in for good old Japanese values.

CEJ wrote:

NE1 ...

Pyro--- Here's hoping the X0 project comes through... I find I can't watch OCP's stuff because the shift in quality for edited scenes is too jarring and takes me out of the movie.

Hmm, maybe, I haven't noticed much. Less jarring than random CG, that's for sure.

Why can't someone take the X0 approach with just the stuff they had to put back in? That takes like 95% of the work of the X0 project out of the equation.

PyromanFO wrote:
Pyro--- Here's hoping the X0 project comes through... I find I can't watch OCP's stuff because the shift in quality for edited scenes is too jarring and takes me out of the movie.

Hmm, maybe, I haven't noticed much. Less jarring than random CG, that's for sure.

Why can't someone take the X0 approach with just the stuff they had to put back in? That takes like 95% of the work of the X0 project out of the equation.

Maybe its more jarring for me because I watch movies at 120" and the jump beteween Laser disc and dvd is pretty noticable onthat scale.

I totally agree with you on using the SE DVDs... but even so, with the remastered SE versions there's a lot of work to be done to get to them look right again, since Lowry/Lucasfilm decided to mess with films' colors by super saturating every scene. That and the complete foul up of the light sabers.. I swear no one watched the movies before they shipped them... how could they not notice luke's light saber was freaking green in some scenes of star wars. (sorry went on a fanboy rant there).

KaterinLHC wrote:

Cooking Mama sounds interesting. I can't wait to try it out. Of course, I could always go cook something for real... but what would be the fun in that?

I was under the impression that this was almost like an interactive cookbook that helped you cook actual dishes. Did I miss the boat on that?

Sorry, but Lego Princess Leia striking that sexy pose really cracks me up.

dumb_kid wrote:
shihonage wrote:
dumb_kid wrote:

The SW DVDs are craptastic
They were made from the laser disc masters... no addditonal clean-up... and for the clincher... it's non-anomorphic... thats right, letterboxed in good ol' 4:3... It seems like lucas just made these out of spite. Son of a.....!

Laser disc masters were widescreen 2.35:1 , as I am sure these discs will be too. Also, the laser disc versions were already cleaned up, as I am sure these discs will be too.

The aspect ratio of the actual film elements on the dvd is indeed 2.35:1. (They are not pan&scan)

However these DVD's come as 4:3. This is non-anomorphic. The film is letterboxed to make it 2.35:1, which means a whole lot of the resolution of the 480 lines of the DVD's are used for the black bars. This format was used for early DVD's.

All modern DVD's come as 16:9. This is anomorphic. The film would again be letterboxed to make it 2.35:1, however this time around you need a lot less of the 480 lines of resolution to make the black bars... leaving more lines of resolution for the actual film elements.

The sad thing is the menus for the "bonus" dvd's are actually anamophic 16:9 but the movie itself is not.

This man speaks the truth. He will not get my money this round. He may get lucky next year when the 30th anniversary set comes out.

I was interested in Rule of Rose but it looks almost identical to Haunting Ground. Girl + dog + really poorly animated combat. And Haunting Ground sucked.