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Ganbare Goemon Oedo Daikaiten! |
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The tried and true formula of 2-D Goemon games
past resurrects itself in the latest PS Goemon adventure.
Familiar gameplay, Impact robot battling, and mini
games aplenty serve up a variable feast for fans of the spiky
haired ninja. The boost in visual quality found in this new Goemon
release sparkles and enchants gamers with a beautifully
rendered Edo. The city shines with quaint charm and refined
sheen. A new antagonist causes unwelcome changes in Edo and it's
up to Goemon and the usual crew of cohorts to resolve the
strife. Goemon wields the pipe, his faithful fat friend
Ebisumaru smacks with fan attacks, Sasuke the ninja bot throws
daggers and Yae slashes with the best of them.
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Goemon OD
US$60
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| PS
Tokimeki Memorial 2 ~ Leaping School Festival |
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A Tokimemo girl is waived from the cover of Leaping School
Festival, replaced by the mighty Go Driller who stands
triumphant with an explosion behind him. Akai Homura, she of
the Kaichou Kick and a major Go Driller fan, would be proud.
Hibikino City remains the setting and this second Tokimemo 2
substory focuses on three girls: Akai Homura, Ijyuuin
Mei, and Ichimonji Akane.
Each girl's story is explored a bit further and their
backgrounds are fleshed out in this volume. Many fans disappointed by the missing Tokimemo 1 girls in
Toki 2 (telephone messages don't matter) get some satisfaction
when Saki
Nijino cameos in this volume. She visits Hibikino High School from
Kirameki to root for her team in a soccer match between the
two schools.
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Tokimeki
2 LSF US$65
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| PS2
Air Ranger: Rescue Helicopter |
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The
flight of a helicopter is affected by a number of atmospheric
variables which hamper or help performance. Temperature,
humidity, and altitude all conspire to affect the capability
of the rotors to generate lift from the air that circulates
around it.
Keeping these factors in mind, publisher Ask
Kodansha may explain away the measured pace of Air Ranger as
keeping the flight of a helicopter true to life. As part of an
air rescue team, players choose from an Aerospatiale
helicopter, a McDonnell Douglas MD-900 Explorer, or a Boeing
CH-47D Chinook. The Chinook overwhelms the air with it's
twin-turbine, tandem-rotor transport capabilities. The
effective useful load of the CH-47D sits at an impressive
25,000 lbs. In the military, Chinooks are used as transport
vehicles for troops, ammunition, and supplies. In civilian
service, medical evacuation, aircraft recovery, fire fighting,
and disaster relief. The player gets called to various hot
spots on land and water, summoned to bring supplies, move
obstructions, or rescue hapless citizens from the perils of
daily living.
Two modes of play are
available: A game rescue mode where you play the missions and
a Beginner mode which features four options: Lesson, Lecture,
Helicopter Profile, and Free Flight.
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Air
Ranger US$68
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| PS2
Beatmania Da! Da! Da! |
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Mix masters generally go to work with attitude, rhythm, and
two turntables in tow. Replace the scratch machine with a keyboard
and you have Beatmania Da! Scattered letters fall from the top
of the screen and descend towards a rubicon. Tap the proper
keys as corresponding onscreen letters hit this line of
demarcation and you're branded a genius. Falter early or late
and your chorus will consist of boos. New songs in the PS2
version include Tsunami, Ren-Ai Revolution21, Motto! Motto! Tokimeki
'99, Eldorado, Swan Lake, and Nade Que Decir. Original PC
soundtrack tunes are made
up of Beginning of Life, e-motion, Love so Groovy, Luv
to me, Papaya Bossa, super highway, and many more. Special
packaging includes a fully functional Konami branded keyboard.
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Beatmania
Da! US$88
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| PS2
Eternity Master V |
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The battlefield spreads out on a 9 x 9 grid with your forces
arrayed on one side against opposing forces on the other. The
front line, led by pawns, are backed up by a majestic force of
lances, knights, bishops, rooks, and a domineering king. As
battle commences, tactical strategy more than brute force
decides the tide of war and the turn of any skirmish.
Often called Japanese chess, Shogi may be
considered a variant of chess but a breed which allows for
promotion of all of it's soldiers. The lowly pawn may evolve
into a golden general and a knight graduates to promoted
knight which gives it more freedom of movement. Similar to
chess, checkmate of the king remains the ultimate goal for
either side to attain. Konami's take on the classic table
board appears to feature a strong tactical opponent (NCS
routinely falters in the challenge of Shogi, regardless of
algorithm strength) but fails to include potential online
support whenever the Online Station or Viaggio 56K modems make
it to market. The board designs are classically styled in
wooden hues and plain playing pieces represent the
participants of battle.
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Eternity
Master US$68
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| PS2
Gallop Racer V |
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Tecmo's
breath of life into the staid horse racing simulation genre
shouts giddyap to a fifth volume. In addition to horse
breeding, raising, and the management scenario of maintaining
a successful stable, gamers also steady themselves aboard a
steed and race in championship tournaments. As a race starts,
a versatile camera descends from the air and positions itself
behind your horse and jockey. A gunshot echoes and the horses
break rank as leaders muscle ahead and stragglers doom
themselves out of contention. The view of the action keeps
steady on top of the race as the horses thunder down the track
and turn the bend towards the finish line. The rolling cam
affords a magnificent head-on shot of the horses as they bear
down on the goal.
Weather conditions ranging from snow to dry heat
affect the horses and racing conditions. A rating system ranks
each equine in terms of stamina, speed, and propensity in
certain track conditions. Some horses have the endurance to
last a long track while others peter out in a fast race.
Excellent presentation and smooth animation refresh the
popular Gallop Racer franchise.
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Gallop
Racer 5 US$68
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| PS2
Kessen 2 |
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Set squarely in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (A.D.
220-280) world, the
second Kessen focuses on the war between Liu Bei, founder of the Shu
kingdom and Cao Cao, who leads the Wei empire. They're both on
the game cover, along with the bewitching Diao Chan who is
cast in the screenplay as Liu Bei's lover in this game.
Scholars of the ROTK narrative may be offended by this
relationship, which taints the ROTK tale, but they ain't seen
nothin' yet. Similar to the first Kessen, armies of soldiers
led by generals clash on battlefields to decide supremacy of
one side over the other. Koei warps into a distorted fantasy
version of "Romance" by introducing caricatures of
generals who bear the names of historical figures but are
empowered with elemental force. The great statesman and
military strategist Zhuge Liang, for example, wields magical
powers and uses them in campaigns against Cao Cao's forces.
Liang was also known as "Hidden Dragon". The use of
supernatural attacks tilt the tide of battle since legions of
armies may be taken out by the summoning of a twister.
Historical inaccuracies and hyperphysical manifestations
aside, Kessen 2 reacts to a changing landscape by adding over
the top visuals, massive "clear the field" attacks,
and some semblance to a classic Chinese novel to spice up the
tactical strategy genre.
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Kessen
2 US$75
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Super Galdelic Hour |
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innocent animals morph into exuberant girls when the Super
Galdelic Hour runs. A pink bunny becomes Toko (in pink
spandex), Neko hails from a purple cat, and Coco scratches
like the green fox she's modeled after. Then there's the big
but beautiful Kuma, a golden bear of a girl, endowed with
pendulous attributes. A fifth girl named Sista appears to be
the ringleader of this circus of affable stars. The girls
engage in various sports which enhance their natural wiggles
and jiggles - jumping rope isn't exactly something the modest
will want to engage in when body parts are already hanging
loose. The other events include big glove boxing, tree
chopping, a pie throwing contest, butt bumping sumo attack,
and Kuru Kuru Bout which takes place on two separate
pedestals. Yes, it's as goofy as it sounds but the
presentation, the charming girls, the manic chattering music,
and the madness of it all give Super Galdelic Hour it's
mesmerizing quality. It's like a big multiple car wreck on a
highway - you can't help but look and stare, bedazzled by the
immensity of it all. April Fool's transpired yesterday, so
that excuse couldn't be used today to explain away Galdelic...
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Super
Galdelic Hour US$68
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NCS
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