2010 already? Maybe this could finally be the year of the first crotch-based peripheral. However, before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s quickly discuss ‘09.
Despite releasing the Wii-Plus (thus finally allowing their console to function the way it always should have), Nintendo failed to offer much to the serious gamer. At the other end of the table, the 360 and PS3 largely just spat sequels out, most of which stuck so close to their proven, money-making formulas, it was hard to tell if anyone had even worked on them. That said, there were definitely some highlights in there, including the glorious Wipeout Fury and the awesome Modern Warfare 2. Thanks in large part to its awesome co-op mode, it’s the latter that takes my game of the year nod. While Arkham Asylum, along with its great action system and originality, definitely deserve a nod too, if we stick to hours then MW2 definitely takes it (along with at least a day of my life too).
So on to this year, which will hopefully see the release of the 360’s Project Natal – a system allowing you to use gestures to control the game. Sound familiar? Unlike the Wii, Microsoft informs us that we’ll be able to use almost any arbitrary movement, using our entire body. Personally, given who we’re dealing with here, I’ll make my decision when I’ve tried it for myself. Sony, not to be outdone, will also be releasing their own camera-based system, however, without the benefit of using a camera that can determine depth, like Natal’s can, I predict it to have about as much success as the six-axis accelerometer. For the PC owners, there’s a new Sixsense controller coming out which is being integrated into Valve’s engine (among others) and some companies (as well as myself) are even experimenting with camera-based tracking. So all up we can expect our interaction to get a whole lot more interactive (and probably even a lot more three dimensional).
Games-wise, it seems sequels still reign king. The highlights included (partially, locally made) Bioshock 2, Halo Reach, GT5, Final Fantasy XIII, Dead Rising 2, Mass Effect 2, Mario Galaxy 2 and Zelda [fill-in-number]. Luckily, it seems some originality still exists too, with the promise of Heavy Rain, a game boasting a massively dynamic storyline, and MAG, a shooter supporting up to 256 players, coming out too.
Touchmaster 3
Published by: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developed by: Hijinx Studios / Midway Games
Platform: DS
Rating: Don’t bother
Playing Style: Short bursts
Length: 30+ mins
So onto the review and given we’re short on space, I’ll keep this quick. Touchmaster 3 is lame. Like almost every other game on the DS, it consists of a collection of mini-games. It distinguishes itself by making the challenges a little more sophisticated than usual. Unfortunately, the result is that many of them just feel overly complicated, meaning overall, the game just feels more like work than it’s worth.
