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Modojo Awards: E3 2006
Written by Modojo Staff on Thursday, May 18, 2006
E3 2006 was the single great showing handheld gaming has ever had. Between the second wave of DS and PSP titles and mobile gaming finally maturing enough to take its rightful place with the big boys, there was a hell of a lot to see (and judge)...
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Clubhouse Games - DS - Nintendo
Jeff Downs: Right off the bat, if Clubhouse Games' final product ends up devoid of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support, SCRAP this nomination! I don't want to hear the excuses, as there's absolutely no excuse for a game with this much time wasting potential, not to support online play. Surely, going online can't be that difficult to implement in a game of this nature, as it's nothing more than a big collection of board games and card games. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
If, Clubhouse Games features Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support, consider me sold. The game features more than 20 different parlor styled games, ranging anywhere from dominoes to checkers. It even features a picto-chat styled communication tool that enables you to taunt opposing players. Now really, what's the point of having a chat if you're limited to playing opponents within talking distance? Exactly. This game better have online play.
Tekken: Dark Resurrection - PSP - Namco
Robert Falcon: Tekken: Dark Resurrection has somehow managed to squeeze the arcade translation into the PSP near perfectly, aside from some frame rate skips and the occasional hiccup. The game plays incredibly well, allowing you to pull off multi-hit combos with ease, even with the PSP's odd control set-up, and the graphics and sound represent everything you remember from the arcade series. The wireless fighting hook-ups should make this even more of a winner, and something to play with a buddy while you're in line waiting to play the arcade game against the local chumps. Dark Resurrection looks to be living up to its name, although it shines brightly, so maybe it's not so Dark, hmm?
Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Mobile - Gameloft
Justin Davis: Double Agent doesn't reinvent the formula Gameloft created for Sam Fisher's previous mobile outings, but it doesn't need to. Every portable Splinter Cell release has been varying degrees of fantastic, and Gameloft has managed to top themselves with each subsequent sequel. This time around Fisher's repertoire of 2D maneuvers has once again been enhanced with all kinds of new ways to stealthily take out enemies. In just the first level I straddled and elevator shaft to get above an unsuspecting enemy, gave another an electric shock, and shimmied my way across a suspended rope. All this is (somehow) accomplished via simple, easy-to-understand controls. 2D stealth has never been done better,
Magnetica - DS - Nintendo
Jeff Downs: A puzzle game for a game of the show contender? I know some of ya'll probably think I've gone crazy by now, but hear me out. This isn't just any puzzle game; this is the 2006 update to the awesome arcade game - Puzz Loop. Never heard of it? That's cool, here's your chance you redeem yourself and check out the potential 2006 puzzle game of the year! Blasphemy you say? Okay, well maybe my nostalgic heart strings are being tugged a bit, but seriously, Magnetica is a uniquely implemented puzzle game that makes genuinely good use of the DS's stylus. Yes, the key word here is "unique," also known as: not another Tetris wannabe.
Creating insanely long combos is Magnetica's soup du jour, and it looks oh so sweet on the DS Lite. But above all things, Magnetica's gameplay is inherently simple, a must for any good puzzle title. It doesn't get any simpler than quick flips of the stylus to aim and shoot marbles (360 degrees) at groups of other like-colored marbles, and when it's all said and done, that's what makes the game work so well. Another high point that Magnetica has going for it, is that it plays like nothing else on the DS, making for a refreshing, magnetically charged change of pace. Tetris DS better watch out, the new kid on the block is eyeing your puzzle game crown.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 - DS - Nintendo
Justin Davis: The original Mario Vs. Donkey Kong was a devilishly addicting combination of platforming and puzzle solving, wrapped up in a charming storyline involving Mario and Donkey Kong's friendly rivalry. The game reviewed well and sold ok, but not well enough for Nintendo to create a DS sequel. Or so I always assumed. My play time with the sequel shows the same spirit of relentless (yet always logical) puzzles. I can't wait to get my hands on the final release. From what I noticed, there are 8 different worlds containing 9 levels each, and probably much more judging from the series' track record for unlockable levels. If that's not enough to retain you, then how about a level editor, with the ability to create your own maps and share them over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection? That fact alone ensures that Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis will feature plenty of replay value, long after its release.
posted June 26, 2006