I’m not sure why everyone is so impressed by Reach, but I’ll do my best to cover it fairly.

Controls:

The controls are very simplified for this.  However I had major difficulty controlling it with my left hand.  I would zig zag all over the place and miss my intended target.  My solution to this was to use only my right hand.  This made me steadier and precise. Keeping a firm grip seems to be the key to success with this.

Appearance:

I have to admit that fresh out of the case, it looks very, very shiny.  However, the colors seem a little drab.  The edges are nice and rounded out though to give a great overall effect.  I could use something with a little more color to it though, they really stayed with some basics on this one.

Performance:

This is a sleek and well designed product.  The people that made this really know the right angles to get things done.  Overall, it’s hard to find something that really fits the niche that this was designed for.  It’s nice that I control how fast it goes.  Really, all the performance depends on me.  One quick note here, you do have to have the proper accessories for this to really work.  A quick trip back to the store will set you right.

“Ho!”, you snark at me saying “I already know about the Halo: Reach release date”!  “Yo Ho”, I snark back, “but what else is coming out?”

Bwah, Who would dare place their games release date head to head with Bungie’s last master piece of Halo?

More importantly, who would adjust their release date just to do so?

Square Enix Would

FRONT MISSION EVOVLED breaks the mold of the franchise, delivering the action-packed experience of a third-person shooter within the distinct aesthetic of the FRONT MISSION® universe. Set in a world full of destruction, conspiracy and crumbling alliances, players will take on the role of Dylan Ramsey to face enemy armies while in control of a giant, customizable, bipedal tank known as a wanzer. Every wanzer is outfitted with extreme firepower, and players must fight through critical battles across a world on the brink of total war. As they make their way through metropolises such as New York City over 150 years in the future, FRONT MISSION EVOLVED will embed players in heart-pounding, large-scale action unlike anything they’ve ever seen before.

I don’t know what to say about this game.  I know very little myself at this moment.   The question in my head remains: Will this title fair well, or will it succumb to the riptide that is Halo?
Check out www.frontmissionevolved.com for more info on Front Mission Evolved.

O Games steps up to bat with PDC World Championship Darts:  Pro Tour.  PDCWCD:PT will be available this Christmas on all 3 consoles.  Of course, I am betting that it does better on the Wii what with the fancy feeling of actually throwing a dart! (Just don’t let go of the WiiMote!)

“PDC World Championship Darts provides an authentic darts experience right in your living room. Now you can experience all the emotions and the highs and lows of the big darts matches against you family and friends” said Jim Scott CEO of O-Games.

“Without a doubt this is by far the best darts game made, it’s very easy to play and enjoy and great fun for everyone” added Jim Scott.

“We are delighted to be working with the same team again for PDC World Championship Darts: Pro Tour. We look forward to continuing the successful relationship we enjoyed in the past to develop another critically acclaimed darts game for the Wii.” said Jason Kingsley CEO at development studio Rebellion.

The teaser trailer is available after the jump.

Rusty Axe Games is hitting the net with a closed beta of a new dungeon editing system.  The program is geared towards not only computer game developers who need dungeon art, but also toward pen and paper gamers.  Dungeon Demon provide both novice and skilled game creator with enough art to design beautiful looking dungeons with ease.

Dungeon Demon is a top down, graphical object oriented editor that mixes tiling and simple graphical object editing to produce a fast and easy to use dungeon editor. Users can specify up to nine named graphics layers, each with an optional grid system. Legend items can be dropped into any layer and can be used for traditional text markup or for more technical purposes if being used for computer game map editing. Maps can be printed, exported as bitmaps or saved in a flexible XML format for use by other programs.

Find out more at www.RustyAxe.com/apps/dd/index.php.

Closed beta signup can be found here: http://www.rustyaxe.com/apps/dd/beta_signup.php

With Crackdown 2 on the edge of being released, it seems the designer has taken the time to help everyone get familiarized with the new Pacific City.

The first “Crackdown” took place in the fictional metropolis of Pacific City, where the Agency – an organisation using genetically enhanced soldiers known as Agents – was contracted to rid the city of three powerful crime syndicates. The saga continues 10 years later in “Crackdown 2,” with new enemies (the Cell and the Freaks) that stand in the way of the Agency’s goal to bring Pacific City back under control. After the events in the first “Crackdown,” a dangerous virus was released and those who were infected – the Freaks – began ravaging the city. A civilian resistance, called the Cell, also formed to take the fight into their own hands by mounting offences against the Agency. Players return as Agents in “Crackdown 2” to once again bring peace to Pacific City – by any means possible.

Check out the first episode “Home Truths” after the jump.