Mad World Wii

Because it's nearly Christmas Platinum Games have released a new trailer of their excellent looking Wii exclusive Mad World. Wow! Erm, it's not a particularly festive trailer but Platinum Games have allegedly promised to post their interpretation of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer next week. Apparently Rudolf will be delivering parcels in Varrigan City. Good luck to him. Here's the trailer...



This game is looking better and better every time I see it. I suspect my Wii will be getting a lot of use again in the not too distant future.....

Thankfully Gary Jules has nothing to do with this game. Although I wouldn't mind seeing him behind one a yellow censored panels in the trailer. There are bright yellow patches on the Gameov3r FORUM

Calling TIME Out On Playstation Home

I've been reading today that TIME magazine has included Playstation Home at number 10 in it's top 10 gadgets for 2008. Their write up reads as follows:

After a number of launch delays, Sony's virtual world, "Home" gives folks one more reason to buy its pricey PS3 video game console. Users create their own human-looking avatar and get a virtual apartment near the "town square," a base of operations from which to socialize, play games and purchase an endless variety of Sony goods and services (think games, movies, music and more.) A cross between Second Life and the Sims, the service shows the promise of a commercial Metaverse. Price: free

What do they mean after a number of launch delays? It's still in a closed beta as of today and that's ignoring the fact it isn't really a gadget at all is it? Picking it apart even more, the shops were empty until a few days ago and the items available now are far from endless. Thinking about 'games, movies and music' is about all you'll be doing as none of these things are for sale. So what fits into the 'more' category then? A few items of clothing and furniture.

I've not been in the beta for all that long and in that time I've loaded it up twice and already I wonder why I would go back. The only part that held my attention for any length of time was the gaming area where I enjoyed a game of bowling and pool, but they're hardly games you'll keep going back to. I've already experienced racist comments and watched as immature guys try to chat up girls with all the subtlety of a brick to the face. Not everyone will abuse it I'm sure and I'm fully aware this is a beta release but Sony had better be holding a lot back as I can already feel the anti climax approaching. The sun is out and people are at home yet to me it feels very cold, sterile and empty.

I know I sound pretty negative but I'm failing to see the innovation here so until Sony release the full thing and change it, my opinion is what it is.

So how much did Sony pay you for the top 10 advert TIME magazine? You haven't even 'played' it have you?

Different opinion? Voice it here or on the GAMEOV3R Forum

This Is Hardcore... Scrabble!

I've been reading this news in various places and can only assume it is genuine as one of them refers to a response from Ubisoft. Either way it made me laugh so here's the gist of it.

A mother bought Scrabble 2007 Edition for the DS rated 3+ for her young son but was surprised to find the computer players using strings of swear words. Mrs Carrington decided to test out the game further and was taken aback when her opponent laid down the word 't*ts'. Helpfully the game also includes a definition to eliminate any confusion which in this case is 'a garden bird' and also 'an informal word for female breasts'.

Not too bad but on further play the computer offered 'f**kers', defined as 'a slang word for chavs'. To rub salt in the wound the word received a triple score losing her the game and leaving Mrs Carrington furious, "Ethan has only just got over us getting him a pink DS and now we've had to ban this game" she wasn't heard saying.

Other interesting details in the article include the fact the game is available at ASDA in its two-for-£25 deal and that Mrs Carrington's husband isn't a tycoon called Blake but in fact runs a hair salon.

A spokesman for Ubisoft said: 'F****ers, I'm really p****ed about this, we need to get our s**t together. The people who rated this must have been off their t*ts'... no of course he didn't say that, what he really said was 'We are sorry the game has caused concern, but it includes a "junior" option that stops it using unusual or offensive words'. Not such a great cliffhanger ending though is it?

I shouldn't laugh, the game should clearly contain a warning... I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry.

Expand your vocabulary on the GAMEOV3R Forum

I saw one of these………

.....today so I thought I’d share.

Emulating an Atari 2600 (VCS) on your PC or Mac is easy. Using an emulator, Stella or Z26, allows you to play classic games like Pitfall and H.E.R.O almost exactly as you did in the late 70's and early 80's. I spent far too many hours in front of a wood panel effect TV, that incidentally matched the Atari’s wood panel almost perfectly, playing on our 2600 and getting a sore palm thanks to the rubbery delight that is the Atari 2600 joystick.

The Atari single button joystick is far from complex, looks rather dull and is best described as workman-like in it’s operation but it got the job done and was a key part of the 2600.

When emulating a game on a modern computer or Mac it’s been difficult if not impossible to use original controllers and this leaves the experience lacking that authentic something. Up, Down, Left, Right arrows and spacebar to jump or shoot is no substitute for an original controller.

Thanks to Atariage.com you can now buy an adaptor, theStelladaptor 2600 to USB Interface, that plugs into your computer and lets you plug in your Atari 2600 compatible controller. No drivers and no messing around. It really is plug and play. The Stelladaptor also recognises the Atari 2600 paddle and driving controllers.

It’s not cheap at $39.95 but worth it if you’re a retro game fan or more specifically an Atari 2600 fan.

For me even certain games became controller specific. Street Fighter II just isn’t Street Fighter II without an SNES pad. Goldeneye 64 needs an N64 controller, PES a PS2 pad, Sonic the Hedgehog has to have a Mega Drive pad, any Commodore 64 game needs a good old Quick Shot 2 joystick and any Forum worth it’s salt needs a Gameov3r.

"Black or White" Performed on NXE

by IndoorHer0es

Aaow It Don't Matter Oooo...hee hee the GAMEOV3R If You're Ooh, Ooh Forum awaits you... Black Or White hee, go yeah, hee hee... aaow!

Auditorium

Cubello still grating on you?... Take out those ear plugs and sooth your ears with the demo of Auditorium here.

Sorry but the GAMEOV3R Forum does not give refunds on used ear plugs...

Currah! It's Cubello!!

Did you ever have or hear one of those Currah Speech 64 cartridges? It's a black plastic cartridge that plugged into the back of the Commodore 64 and enabled your C64 to speak any words that you typed in. All very clever but the voice sounded like Roland Rat after he'd swallowed Metal Mickey and then inhaled 8.9 cubic feet of helium gas. With a voice so irritating it was only right that I, and probably most other like-minded teenage boys and girls, made the C64 swear like a trooper.

Despite my reminiscing the Speech 64 cartridge isn't what I'm going to talk about but it is important to keep it in mind. You see, I've been playing Cubello, one of the Art Style WiiWare titles, lately and while it is a superb puzzle game that challenges your hand-eye co-ordination, spacial awareness and logic all in equal measure it seems that the programmers either have a special place in their hearts for Currah's cartridge or they have a fetish about a rat, a robot and a large amount of gas.

A grating robotic voice welcomes you to the game and then talks you through the tutorial. If it's monotone, metallic drone has not perforated your eardrum so far you'll be doing very well. There's no escape though, oh no, that the damn voice won't go away! It comments on all your moves throughout the game and you can't turn it off!

Voice aside.... Cubello is a simple puzzle game. Basically you shoot one block at another block of the same colour by using the wiimote to point and the A button to fire. 4 blocks of the same colour will vanish and it's your task to clear all the blocks from each puzzle. Simple! Well, simple initially. Cubello is superficially shallow. Clear the first few puzzles, acclimatise yourself to the way the puzzle works and Cubello's depth is revealed. A quick game can easily turn into an hour as you try to complete just one more Cubello. And then another one. And another one.

Cubello looks basic but it's sufficient and works extremely well. In fact each cubello sweeps and turns effortlessly and is quite mesmerising to watch. The sound is basic, there's no music, not that I can recall at this moment anyway. This suggests that I've either become senile during the course of today or that it's a crap and completely unmemorable score or there really isn't any music. I'm 99% certain there isn't any but I wouldn't like to rule out the other 2 options completely. Oh, mustn't forget to mention that annoying robotic voice again. Perhaps it's one of the voices that Steven Hawking rejected? Who'd blame him! The gameplay deceives you into thinking it is very basic. It is a clever game indeed that sneaks up on you, taps you on the shoulder and makes you want to play and play and play and before you know it you've turned night into day.

You have two styles of play available to you. Endless Mode which speaks for itself or you can work your way through the puzzle stages one by one. Both ways of playing are excellent and while there is no 2 Player option choosing Stages allows you to pass the Wiimote to another player to see if they can beat the same puzzle or the time you've just set.

The biggest disappointment in Cubello is that the voice doesn't swear. Not once. I considered asking for a refund because of this but have since become hooked on the gameplay. At only 600 Wii Points Cubello represents a bargain and even more important than it's tiny price is that it only takes up 47 blocks of Wii memory.

Cubello is an excellent puzzle game that I'd highly recommend.

Special Gameov3r ear plugs have been ordered. Join the Forum and grab yours before Cubello becomes the phenomenon that it should and we run out! Or Gameov3r tries them all for size. Probably not in his ears.