Spectrobes Origins is an action role-playing game that is a sequel to a DS game series. In Origins you command creatures that you excavate from stone blocks. The excavation process is rather interesting; once you get a block you use a hammer, bombs, an air gun and other items to carefully release your creature without damaging it). Then you fight alongside your creature. Fighting seemed decent, although the excavation process was the only thing that really stood out. The game has minor weapon crafting/creature strengthening aspects that give it a little depth, but it is more a casual RPG than a hardcore one. Planned release date: Winter 2009.
Sing It: Pop Hits is a karaoke game. It looks decent, and has one rather interesting mode called “Sing It Pro” which leads you through singing exercises to control breath and pitch and the like. I’ve always felt karaoke games could help improve your singing by showing you where you’re going wrong, but this is the first singing game I’ve seen that is actively engaged in making you a better singer. Planned release date: Fall 2009.
G-Force: The Video Game is based on some upcoming Jerry Bruckheimer film featuring guinea pig secret agents battling killer toasters and clock radios. Disney was showing the Xbox 360 version, but claims that it is essentially the same game on other platforms, including the Wii. The game actually looked rather promising. There are multiple ways to deal with obstacles, such as choosing between stealth and fighting, and interesting gadgets like one that turns inanimate objects into weapons. The open ended approach makes this the first game based on a dumb movie that could potentially be compared with Deus Ex and Splinter Cell, although I’m certainly not getting my hopes up. The PR flack claims the game looks as good on the Wii as on the 360, which I find unlikely because the game looks pretty good on the 360. There are also interesting monsters, like irons that shoot fireballs (it’s very family friendly, since you only kill appliances). Planned release date: July 21 2009.
I always feel sorry for the PR flacks who have to tout the really horrible games, so I felt bad for the woman at the Disney presentation who was in charge of both Toy Story Mania! and The Princess and the Frog. These are pure mini-game shovelware titles. Toy Story Mania! was in an unfinished state, since the game had no targeting reticule, making it virtually unplayable, but it looked to be like a million other miniware Wii titles. The Princess and the Frog served no other purpose than to make Toy Story Mania! look good in comparison, offering, from the three mini-games I saw, truly wretched, tedious, unimaginative gameplay. Planned release date: too soon for me.
