Thursday, May 10, 2007

Wrestle Kingdom 2 + Partial Bonus

Bruisers from the world of Japanese professional wrestling enter the ring once again to grapple, slap, and growl at each other. A total of 73 bulky muscle-bound monsters from the New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling leagues tussle against each other and go to the mat with Freelancers such as Tajiri and Legends such as Bigbang Vader. The gang from Pro Wrestling NOAH is missing but a fifth category of wrestlers under the banner of "EX" is available in the game. There are a total of 13 EX wrestlers but they're all locked with the exception of a red-masked grappler named Masked Devilock.

The controls at first feint are simple - the D-pad moves a wrestler around the ring and the SQUARE button is used to slap and kick. To run around the ring and bounce off the ropes, press and hold the TRIANGLE button. The "X" button initiates a grapple which can progress into a leg lock, a body slam, or a throw move depending on the subsequent button combination. The depth in the controls is realized when exploring the grappling system which features a sizable number of attacks, chains, and even a power-up system. Early preorders will include a bonus DVD Video which contains legendary matches fought between marquee wrestlers such as Antonio Inoki vs Tiger Jeet Singh and Stan Hansen vs Andre the Giant. «Game Notes»

Final Fantasy Tactics Shishi Sensou

Return to the world of Ivalice and join a lad named Ramza Beoulve and his friend Delita Herial who find themselves embroiled in The Lion War. Princess Ovelia, the adopted daughter of King Omdolia, has been kidnapped and two mighty houses marshal for war. On one side is the Gallione Family ruled by Prince Larg who's family crest is a White Lion. Opposing them is the Zeltennia Family stewarded by Prince Goltana who's family crest is a Black Lion. Two lions clash and Ivalice suffers from their enmity.

Players take on the role of Ramza Beoulve who teams up with Delita Herial and cohorts in an adventure to beat back enemy hordes. The first chapter is titled, "The Meager" and the game starts in Magic City Gariland where Ramza's party is charged with defeating a group of brigands. The next mission takes place on the Mandalia Plains where the party may opt to save a warrior named Algus. In general, the goal of each mission is defeating all of the enemy units on the map but different objectives pop up from time to time.

Final Fantasy Tactics Shishi Sensou is based on the original Playstation game from 1997. The visual presentation of the game is a near 1:1 copy of the original but Square adds a cel-shaded introduction cinema and numerous animation sequences which play after each chapter. The PSP update of Final Fantasy Tactics also features two new playable characters: Balflear from FFXII and Luso from Final Fantasy Tactics A2. «Game Notes»