Contact, an oddball RPG for the DS, has drawn many comparisons to the Earthbound/Mother series due to its unique art style and offbeat humor. Unfortunately, it seems this game may also share a lack of attention from customers as well. With the juggernaut Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana series making its way to the DS, Atlus may have picked a bad time to introduce a new IP to the mix.
One needs only to look at the console it's coming out for to determine that Baten Kaitos Origins won't capture the attention of the original. Not only is the game out on the basically dead Gamecube, but it also suffers from the prequel stigma which is a tough sell to gamers. It's a shame, since the game seems every bit as good as the first. Giving Baten Kaitos Origins the Twilight Princess treatment and souping it up for the Wii would have done this game wonders.
Sure, Viva Pinata has been subject to an odd amount of hype what with the Saturday morning cartoon and all, but the game still seems to have the markings of a forgotten game. For one thing, it's a kid-friendly title on a console made for mature gamers. Also, it's developed by Rare, who have developed a knack for making games that go ignored (see Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Conker: Live and Reloaded, and the company's sub par 360 launch titles). While the company may have broken its streak of underachieving with Viva Pinata, it sure picked a bad time and place to do it.
While the Wii's debut has been frenzied and fruitful, there are always games lost in large launch lineups. Rayman Raving Rabbids may have surprised the critics with its excellent and inventive gameplay, but its not a message that your everyday Wii owner is hearing. With a great pack-in game in Wii Sports and one of the best launch titles of all time in Twilight Princess, Rayman Raving Rabbids is likely to dawdle on shelves as a result of being unfairly tied into the long-standing but low-key platform series.
The Psychonauts award for 2006 will likely go to Okami. While it's been an across-the-board critical darling, the artistic style and interesting narrative in Okami don't scream "buy me" to the graphics and gore-obsessed gaming audience. The few gamers that haven't made the next-gen leap this year will likely stick to the tried and true sequels hitting the PS2 this year like Final Fantasy XII and Guitar Hero II. While games like those two are well and good, it's a shame to see a wholly original title like Okami not earn the level of success it deserves.
Your Wii just got a whole lot funnier.
...in Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. Its an adventure that starts with your imagination!
Bioware sat down with GamePro in an interview to talk about the development of their latest creation
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