Come On Back

Naruto: Rise of the Ninja follows the story of the popular anime series. The game's style is that of a 'beat 'em up' with RPG aspects, for example, your character's stats do increase and they will learn new moves and abilities as the game progresses.

Whilst I really liked the style of this game, and the use of cell-shading I was disappointed that the developers had not re-animated the cut scenes in the same manner (unlike the new Dragonball Z game), instead they have simply inserted actual slips from the anime into the video game. I actually find this to be quite lazy, especially since the game can be completed in about 10 hours. If they had added some nice CGI it would have made it a little bit more enjoyable.

Despite the length of this game, I really enjoyed playing through it. The graphics are impressive, the story immersive and the voice acting exactly what you can expect from a top class anime series. However, despite the impressive graphics, there is one very obvious flaw, and that is the fact that the in game characters never actually move their mouths to speak, the voice over's simply sound, this is unlike the Dragonball game where they speak even in battle.

I think that they have cut many corners in this game, there are things that I personally would have included in the game in order to improve the style and feel of it. I would have been much more impressed if they had bothered to animate things other than a simple walk, run and jump cycle. The fact that they simply didn't bother to animate the mouths at all throughout the game, leads me to believe that they simply wanted to release this game as soon as possible, with as little work required.

Missions CONSTANTLY require you to travel from A to B, and then back to A, and back to B about five times before you can proceed with the games actual story. This becomes ridiculous and irritating after the third time, and I couldn't help but think I would have enjoyed the experience a bit more if they had bothered to allow you to be transported to the correct location.. And before I get the, "Maybe they couldn't" line, they could and this is proven since after each mission, you can warp back to Leaf Village.

However, despite the many gripes I have about this game, and its lazy development, I am still highly pleased with the game and have enjoyed playing through it, and even though the game was only 10 hours long, I felt should it have continued, my patience would have been tried. I have even decided to watch the complete Naruto series, something that up until now I have failed to manage.

So, hopefully you will find this review useful, and I hope it helps you make the correct choice in your next video games purchase.

Kristen Barghout

Blog: http://www.animezonecentral.com

I am a professional programmer, with a keen interest in all things related to anime and video games. I don't just like certain genre's, I like all genre's, and will always give my honest opinion.

I can't always find the time to post my articles here, but if you visit my blog, there is lots of news and reviews, so please check it out.

AP - A woman hiding among Iranian pilgrims with a bomb strapped under her black robe killed more than three dozen people Sunday outside a Baghdad mosque during ceremonies commemorating the death of one of Shiite Islam's most revered saints.

One of the greatest innovations attributed to the Wii aside from its unique controls is the sheer amount of unique games it brings to the table. De Blob is no exception to this, with the main antagonist being a small gelatinous blob whose sole purpose is to bring color back to Chroma City by painting it, one building at a time. The story is that the Inkt Corporation has sucked all the life from the environment and it's up to De Blob to absorb various types of paint in order to leave his mark on just about anything he touches.

The concept seems pretty simple, but the game play seems amazingly addictive. Apparently, you control de Blob with your nunchuk and simple wiggle the Wii-mote in order to make him jump. De Blob also has the ability to slide and jump from wall to wall, performing wall jumps and leaving splashes of color. The game play is quite open ended, as there is a story-line, but you complete various different challenges based around a clock. The more challenges you complete, the more time the clock gives you to complete your ultimate goal. There are tons of these mini-challenges scattered around the free range environment, including such small tasks as painting a specific building a certain color, to more action based tasks like taking out enemies which come at you in waves. Keep in mind if you'd rather just paint your way through the game, you're able to do this as well. Each building you paint adds time to your clock and contributes to your color meter. When you get the specified number for that level, a gate opens and you can exit to the next level.

Small cutscenes splice the levels together and help keep the story moving. They're pretty humorous little clips of what life is like for ordinary citizens under the oppression of the Inkt Corporation. If you enjoyed a particular cutscene, you can always return and watch it again by bringing it up in the extras menu. Many of the scenes are reminiscent of Pixar's style and humor. You also have the ability to change de Blob's mood, which in turn changes the soundtrack of that level. This is a great way to keep the game fresh and interesting, as many people complain music gets too repetitive in their favorite games.

In addition to the story mode, de Blob also has other modes of play available. Free paint is unlocked after you've beaten a certain level, and grants you the ability to play through the same environment without having to worry about the clock or enemies. It's basically the Sandbox mode for each level in the game and allows you to paint the buildings in which ever way you'd like. There are also several multi-player modes, in which you can compete against three other players.

All in All, de Blob is shaping up to be a great game which will keep Wii owners busy for quite awhile.

Find out more about this and other upcoming Wii releases at Are you a Wiiener?

AP - Congressional Democrats said Sunday that President-elect Barack Obama probably will have to wait until next month before getting the chance to sign an economic aid bill his team once hoped would be on his desk by his swearing-in Jan. 20.

The Magic Farm game coming from game development company Meridian 93 is a Time Management installment about a young entrepreneur with a magical green thumb off to save her beloved parents. While the theme of the story is not entirely new, there may be still something about this game that holds it interesting, and that's what we'll get to see on this review.

The story of the Magic Farm game starts as a young country girl sets off on a quest to find her long lost parents. Hoping to gather some money for her journey, she then starts to do what she does best - planting flowers and selling them for profit. And that sums up also the game's overall objectives.

Half of the mechanics of the Magic Farm game involves you planting flower plants, watering them and keeping them away from pests until they grow blooms for sell. Buy additional equipment to expand your production and gain experience for you to level up your skills in planting. In later parts, you'll also get to have a companion in the form of a little dragon named Robin. Robin can level up his skills too, making him a very valuable ally as the game goes along.

The other half of this game is an RPG-like adventure that involves you talking to people for the further development of the story. The NPC characters in the game present you tasks and quests to accomplish, thus adding more interest to the whole game experience.

The Review

The Magic Farm game consists of a very engaging story line coupled with visually attractive graphics and relaxing music perfect for the game's mood. The game play is very smooth too and you won't have any trouble clicking through the several items during the actual action game.

The presence of the dragon, Robin, is also very convenient. Besides from being a cute little creature, he's also a great help during the frantic Time Management parts of the game. One bit of trivia: Robin Games is actually Meridian 93's casual gaming branch. You think there's a connection between the two? :-)

Anyway, a little bit of downside to the Magic Farm game is that for every town you're character visit, you'll have to start over from scratch into building another farm. While this may annoy you because of the seeming loss of your progress, it's also one way the game introduces you to more plants, more enemies and more profit from your products. I guess, basing on that, it can be quite a good thing too.

All in all, the Magic Farm game is really an engaging game filled with hours and hours of great story line and game play. I had fun playing it and I suggest you try it out too.

I had always loved playing games and this simple review is really my own way of giving back to the casual gaming community of developers and gamers alike.

Please do check out my blog too at http://www.casualicious.com where I feature news and reviews of casual and online web games everyday. You'll find it a great resource of up and coming games, and while you're at it, please do subscribe to my RSS feed to keep yourself informed.

See you there soon! :)

E! Online - Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are looking to perfect their pas de deux.

Games like Grand Prix Challenge or Colin McRae Rally 3 feel a lot more realistic when you are holding an actual wheel in your hands. However, for the keyboard lovers a simple search for race car games com can bring these games on to your personal computer.

From the feel of the Formula 1 track to the atmosphere of underground racing ps2 racing games have it all. A game like Midnight Club II by Rockstar uses everything at its disposal, even the music, to re-create the world of midnight underground racing. In many games you race for victory, here you race for survival and you love it all the way.
But if you are looking for the real fury in ps2 racing games try ATV Offroad Fury 2; the cut-offs, the bumps, the dirt and the high jumps will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. If you want to enjoy this game online all you need to do is search for race car games com and download it to your computer.

In WipEout Fusion you get to combine combat and futuristic hover car racing for a pleasure trip to cyber space you will not forget soon. If you prefer a less brutal race Need for Speed Underground is one of the ps2 racing games that will offer you a smoother ride. Its all about the pleasure of driving and before you take your car out on the street you can also customize it. When you are looking for the thrill of a rally race all you need to do is turn your attention to Colin McRae Rally 3 and enjoy the tight corners, the dirt roads and the power sliding in this spectacular and authentic ps2 racing game.

A very original game you can play at the arcade is Burnout 3, also available to you through racing game download. In this game you gain speed by bumping into your opponents and car crashes that happen at mind blowing speeds keep your adrenaline pumping at all times.

Ps2 racing games have everything for the driver in you: Grand Prix Challenge and Colin McRae Rally 3 for the sports driver in you Need for Speed Underground for the pleasure cruiser and games like ATV Offroad Fury 2 or WipEout Fusion for the more adrenaline oriented. And if you prefer to play these games online you can find them on any race car games on the Internet. Just take the wheel and enjoy the roar of the engine.

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AP - It was the equivalent of finding an old Picasso or an unknown Beatles tape hidden away in your uncle's attic.