When I first heard that Capcom's next Resident Evil game was going to be a sequel to the Wii-exclusive Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, I was pretty disappointed. Umbrella Chronicles actually turned out to be great -- much better than I thought it would be -- but still, nothing about the game demanded a sequel. However, that's what we've got, like it or not, so instead of b*tching about what The Darkside Chronicles isn't (namely, a new RE4: Wii Edition-style masterpiece), let's focus on what the game is: an on-rails shooter specifically designed for the home console market.

Will The Darkside Chronicles live up to the expectations of Resident Evil fans? More importantly, does it work to deliver enough punch to satisfy the home console gamer despite the fact that the action is on rails?

Hit the jump to find out.

I don't generally like wartime FPSes. In fact, I'd say that the "normal guy with guns shooting other normal guys with guns" genre is my least favorite in all of videogame-dom, starting with GoldenEye on up. I understand their appeal, but on the whole, games like this lack the many things I love in a videogame (character graphic design, creative power-ups, boss fights, item-based puzzle solving, obstacle course-style level design, surrealism, comedy, horror, etc.) and in their place are the trappings of "mainstream" entertainment that I turn to videogames to avoid (Hollywood action movie logic, explosions for the sake of explosions, attempts to turn real-life tragedies into entertainment, reliance on team-based competitiveness, etc.).

So if I'm such a non-fan of the series, why am I the one to review Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex? Well, because this version of the game was made specifically for people like me -- people who aren't already fans of this subset of the FPS genre. If you are a fan of the Call of Duty games, then you bought Modern Warfare on one of the HD consoles two years ago, and are likely knee-deep in Modern Warfare 2 as we speak. No, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex isn't for preexisting Call of Duty fans; it's for fans-to-be (at least, from Activision's perspective).

Hit the jump to see if the game succeeded in making a Call of Duty-loving man out of me.

So, I took a five-hour bus ride to New York City yesterday to do some video coverage of the New Super Mario Bros. Wii launch event at the Nintendo World Store. It was supposed to be a four-hour bus ride, but somehow the good people of Fung Wah busing found a way to max out on the time. Have you ever ridden the Fung Wah before? It's cheap as hell, but on a good day, your ride will smell like old cabbages and lonely people. On a bad day, it smells like that, plus cat poop.

Long story short, I had a great time at the event, despite feeling totally exhausted before, during, and after I got there. I planned on getting all the footage edited today, but what do you know, it's all been erased.

Hit the jump for my best recollection of the highs and lows of the event, plus a rumor so awesome that I'm going to do everything that I can to force it into the realm of truth.

Sesame Street turned 40 last week. That show used to be pretty awesome.

As for this week, we played some videogames. Some of these games were better than others. Out of everybody, I think Nick Chester probably had it best. I can't wait to get my hands on Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles in a few days. That new tofu mode looks so fantastic.

How about you? What did you play this week? What do you wish you were playing?

By my definition, any time a new game in a series rejects technological advancements and changes in "mainstream" gaming trends, that's a rebirth. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Mega Man 9, and of course Konami's own ReBirth series on WiiWare are the best examples, while Bionic Commando Rearmed, TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, and New Super Mario Bros Wii don't quite fit the bill.

Trying to win over new gamers with polygon-based graphics and techno remixes isn't what a rebirth is about. A true rebirth can't do anything to remind the player that they live in the age of the polygon. Instead, the game must transport the player backward, allowing them to feel like they've traveled ten, twenty, or even thirty years into the past. If you don't feel "born again" into a prior era of videogame history, then you're not playing a rebirth game.

This is the sort of thing I think about when I'm driving in my car or waiting for my bread to toast. I don't think about the economy, or my cholesterol level, or my receding hairline. I think about which videogames could best help me forget about all that "grown-up" garbage.  Hit the jump for the games I think could best do the job.

[Note: I finished writing this post last week. The fact that more than a few of the games here can also be found on Jim's Ten classic games that didn't age well post is entirely coincidental.]

2D shmups are back with a vengeance these days, while 3D shmup releases are at an all time low. For my money, the last truly great game in the genre was Panzer Dragoon Orta on the original Xbox. That's only if you don't count Sin and Punishment, which technically came out almost ten years ago, but wasn't available in the US until recently, thanks to the virtual console's allowance for a low-risk, cost effective means of game distribution.

Now S&P has a sequel, and from what I've played of it at E3, I have no doubt that it will be awesome. Don't believe me? Well, luckily for you, some upstanding citizen of the internet has uploaded a full run-through of the game on Youtube. You may not be prepared to watch every bit of it, as the totally run-time is almost four hours long. Oh, and I guess you could call watching the entire game played from beginning to end a spoiler, so if you're trying to stay pure before the S&P 2's release in the states next year, you may want to steer clear (at least, of the later levels).

Really though, with a game this fast paced and mind-numbingly destructive, there's not much of a chance that you'll even remember these videos in a few months from now. There's too many set-pieces, boss fights, and generalized insanity here for anyone to keep track of, let alone store in one's mind. Shooting saber-tooth tigers in the face, fist-fighting shirtless dudes Street Fighter style, tearing up giant chickens, and bathing in molten lava are just the start of it.

Hit the jump to see for yourself.

Not playing Modern Warfare 2? Well then, chances are high that you'd like Bit.Trip Beat. The game is pretty much the anti-Call of Duty, and it's one of my all time favorites. If you haven't played it yet, this update may be the perfect excuse.

I'm not sure of everything this update does, but the one thing I know for sure is that you no longer have to get a high score in a level to save your progress. That was one of the more controversial things about the original version of the game, and to be honest, I'm sort of sad to see it go. Good thing I have two Wii's now (don't ask why) so if I want to play the original Bit.Trip Beat, I can just boot up on the back up.

It's also rumored that this update makes the game easier overall, which I also have mixed feelings about. I suppose that if you are one of the many who are holding off on buying Bit.Trip Core and Bit.Trip Void until they've beaten the first game, then this patch may help get you over the hump.

IGN just put up an interview with the team behind Project Monster (working title), the new game from the developers of Henry Hatsworth. The game is about a young girl who takes a monster under her wing, who returns the favor by helping her beat up other monsters and their kids; sort of like A Boy and his Blob but with less jelly beans and more wanton violence. That's just my take; the developers mention other influences, namely Pokemon, Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania, and "fighting/beat-'em- ups". To quote them directly- "The game's core mobility, intense combat, and inspiration from gaming's historic greats all blends together to create a package that feels polished and rewarding".

Sounds like they've got the right idea, and so far, things are looking good too. The sprite-based graphics look better than the already respectable stuff found in Hatsworth, and nearly as good as the top-of-the-line sprite-work of that upcoming Shantae DSiWare game. Project Monster has no announced publisher yet, but I'd wager it's just a matter of time before it does.

Let's keep out fingers crossed on this one.

It's good news/bad news time again. Good news first- Cave Story Wii has been resubmitted to Nintendo for approval. The game was supposed to be out months ago, but for reasons unknown, Nintendo has been holding it back. I played a very final-feeling version of the game at E3 this year, which makes me think that the game has been done for a while. The word on the street was that the game's translation needed changing before it could be releases, but I'm guessing that there's more to it than that.

Which brings us to the bad news.

Some mysterious changes have been made to Quote, the game's main character. His iconic red hat and pants have now been replaced with a yellow and brown ensemble that's much less flattering. Happier people than myself are guessing this change signifies DLC palate swaps for Quote, or even better, a new 2-player co-op mode. My guess is that Nintendo thought that the original Quote looked too much like Ash Ketchum, and wouldn't let the game come out until the character was changed. You can see the original Quote sprite, the initial WiiWare revision, and the latest yellowed-up sprite all in the gallery.

So what do you think?  Am I being paranoid, or did Nintendo just force Quote to start dressing like Devo circa 1978?

[via Gonintendo]

Nursery-room appropriate music? Check. Japanese guy saying "Ackushun Addvenchu-aaahhh"? Check. Gamecube quality graphics. That's an affirmative. Put them all together, and you know what we've got; another PokePark Wii trailer.

Don't assume that when I say "Gamecube quality" graphics, that I mean it in a bad way. On the whole, I'd rather look at graphics from five years ago than the dermatologically handicapped dudes often found on the HD-consoles. Sometimes detailed graphics just aren't important, and I see nothing about PokePark Wii that warrants more detailed visuals. Watching Pikachu headbutt squirrels in the ass and periodically get his mime on is a guaranteed good time, regardless of the resolution.

I'm comfortable enough with my manhood to say that PokePark Wii looks promising. Taking real-time Pokemon combat and combining it with the type of mini-games found in Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 is a fine idea. The game is set for pre-order in Japan right now, and if NoA passes on it like they have so many other NoJ games, I'll probably import it.

How about you? You feeling this low-res, Pokemon head-to-ass butting thing?

[via Gonintendo]

Bit.Trip VOID is a game that you can play with your family, where you compete to see who can get fatter the fastest. Thanksgiving (link NSFW) is a holiday where families do the same thing, except with more awkward silences and passive aggressive bickering. One is a charming allegory about the dangers of selfishness, the other can give you an ulcer and case of mud-butt.

The choice is clear, people; skip eating this year and play Bit.Trip VOID on Thanksgiving instead. If you don't want to choose, that's actually OK too. The game is set for release on November 23rd, which will give you four days to play before the actual celebration of excess and obesity begins.

Just don't come crying to me when the mud-butt comes-a-calling.

Time for another update from the Super Meat Boy twitter. First off are a few images from "incidental" aspects of the game. We get a look at the silhouette of a mysterious dude (Tim? LL Cool J?), a peek at the "dark overworld" of chapter 1, and page 1 of the game's in-game instructions. This one makes me happiest of all, as it confirms that Super Meat Boy will have a run button like Super Mario Bros.

Personally, I feel that the run button is often all that separates the good 2D platformers from the great ones, which further increases my belief that Super Meat Boy may go on to be one of the all time great 2D platformers of this generation.

Last, we have news of the second Super Meat Boy comic contest, called "Show us your meat!". Make some Meat Boy art between now and this Friday and post a reply with a link to said art on Meat Boy's twitter, and you have a chance to win one of three Super Meat Boy comic books.

I sure hope the guy in the header image doesn't enter, because that's Mike Roush: Gaijin Games art director. Against him, we haven't a chance.

Zombie games: some are great, some suck, but regardless of their quality, a lot of people are getting sick of them. Personally, I'm growing closer and closer to feeling that way. Becoming numb to zombies is a serious bummer, as there was a time when I couldn't get enough of them. Back then, I bought each and every zombie game to hit the market.

This led to countless hours of contemplation of the perfect zombie game. I knew it would involve a large, uncontrolled area (unlike Resident Evil), a need to escape zombies more often then fighting them (unlike Left 4 Dead) and that special feeling you get when you see characters that you have grown to know and love, turn into cold, bloodthirsty monsters (unlike just about every zombie game ever made). It needed to be game that took the time to set up a world where everything is safe and normal, only to see all that destroyed by a relentless, unstoppable zombie horde.

I have yet to play the game that truly captures all that, but the one that comes closest is Animal Crossing. Yes, Animal Crossing; the game about buying furniture and writing letters to talking alligators. On one day each year, this serene world goes to hell. That day is today: Halloween.

Hit the jump to find out how one of the cutest games ever can scare the sh*t out of you.

[Update: Saw this awesome image in KrazyKraut's cblog and I just had to take it. Thanks KrazyKraut!]

OK, time to finish this list up right, hopefully in time for you to sneak some of these movies into your Halloween parties and/or Saturday night game development production meetings. Real talk game developers; this list could make you rich. I doubt the licensing fees on any of these movies are terribly high, and the demand is certianly there. Speaking of which, an industry friend of mine recently found out that the license to make Beetlejuice videogames is being held by some accountant somewhere, and he's willing to lend it to whoever approaches him first. So far, no one's called.

Bettlejuice isn't on this list, even though I freaking love that movie. Instead, you'll find some grosser, scarier movies that I genuinely believe would make great videogames.

[WARNING: The videos you are about to see contain images too SHOCKING for most viewers. Those with severe heart problems, nervous conditions, or pregnancy are advised to proceed with EXTREME CAUTION, especially while at work.]