Lego Batman Game Review

By Tonia Jordan

Gotham City is in trouble, and Batman is coming to the rescue! Lego (after its success with Star Wars and Indiana Jones) is now taking on the Batman world. The game has all the characteristics that made their other games great (lots of playable characters with special abilities, intricate & colorful worlds, two-player co-op gameplay) and adds something new. In Lego Batman you can be either the hero or the villain! In fact, to complete the game, you must play as both!

All Lego games require the player to go through each level twice, first on Story Mode, then on Free Play Mode. In the first mode, you play through the game's main story. In the second, you get to play again, this time as any character you've unlocked! In most of the levels, there are secrets you can only unlock in Free Play Mode, so you have to play both modes to unlock everything in the game. In Lego Batman, they've added another whole set of levels where you then play the villains' sides of the story!

Fans of Lego games and fans of Batman will love this game! As it's rated E (10+), it's a great game for kids, and adults will love it, too!

While the game is challenging and takes some time to fully complete, it's also not too difficult. It's tricky but can be played through without too much frustration. That's the perfect game to me!

Play it all over again with someone else! The first time through, I played alone with a computer player assisting. After I finished, I got my husband to play as the second player in place of the computer player, and I experienced the fun all over again!

Lego has some great games under its belt with Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones. While this game doesn't follow any movie plot like the others, it does offer some new things that are quite enjoyable!

This game is truly fun! It's challenging but a whole lot of fun to play! Each character has its own special ability and some have some pretty funny additions, too. There are tons of unlockable secrets in the game, so it's continuously new and fun!

My favorite aspect of the game is all the different characters that are unlockable. There are so many to choose from, so many favorites from the Batman Universe. This game will never lose its charm for me!

Tonia Jordan is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers. Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/spidergirl so stop by and read for a while.

Dr Lynch - Grave Secrets Review

By Ruff Bismonte

A skeptic's work is never done since you'll always be trying to find a new mystery to debunk here and there. Good thing that there's no lack of mysteries in the world. As a matter of fact, in Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets, you get to play detective once again to solve a ghost story happening in one of England's most quiet towns.

In this game, you take the role of Dr. Ignatius Lynch, the world renowned skeptic famous for disproving spiritual phenomena. This time, your assignment takes you to an important archaeological dig in Brombury, England. What's happening is that there seems to be a saboteur in the team's midst, destroying equipment and causing havoc to their project. But the worst part of the scenario is the presence of a ghostly figure haunting the team's campsite, meaning that there's definitely something fishy going on, and Dr. Lynch's spider-sense is tingling like mad!

Anyway, talking about the gameplay, your role in Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets is to find several listed objects acting as clues towards the solution of your investigation. Find all the objects within the specified time limit and use limited hints if you're having a hard time locating the items. Sometimes, optional tasks are also available for you to complete if you have extra time remaining in your quest. Completing optional tasks will reward you with extra hints, and considering the challenge presented by this hidden object game, you'll definitely need each and every ounce of hint you can get your hands on.

Now, there are also various mini-games you get to play using all the inventory items you collected from the actual hidden object puzzles, but the feature in which the game shines most is its deep storyline as presented on comic strips after each stage, from clues you found during your adventure, and from Clue Cards you collect after interrogating the town's locals. This game's story is really as good as they get, maybe just lacking the super-eerie feeling I expected from the game's title, but still very engaging nonetheless.

Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets is one of the many casual games reviewed on Casualicious. Please visit our site to read more about Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets and many of our other featured games.

Cheats For Mario Kart Wii

By Robert A Lawrence

Mario Kart Wii marks the latest addition to the much loved and effortlessly fun racing series from Nintendo. In this article I'll cover some hints and tips you can use to make your gameplay a little more interesting, Mario Kart Wii is a great game to play, and it's much better in multiplayer mode. In all all of us there is that competitive gremlin lurking in the dark corners of our minds, You know what I mean, we don't like to loose do we, so will try any tactic or maneuver to be the best and beat friends and family, so here are some tips and cheats to give you the edge. Mario Kart Wii cheats are littered throughout the game, so take the time to look out for them it will work to your advantage, but just to get you started , I'll start you off with a few of the most important ones . Enjoy!

The Rocket Start

Your racing success starts as early as the starting line! Keep your eye on the countdown. The "2" appears as if it comes from behind your screen. When that animation stops and the "2" is in the middle of the screen, press the accelerator. If timed correctly, your kart or bike will receive a big boost at the start and will accelerate to top speed quickly.

Tip: Getting knocked off the course is never a good time. It's a frustrating wait as you're lifted back into the race. As soon as you're dropped onto the course hit the accelerator. If timed correctly (slam it as soon as you land), your kart or bike receives a speed boost similar to the rocket start. This will cut down wait time and helps get you back in the race as fast as possible.

If you hit the accelerator before the countdown finishes and miss the rocket start, your kart or bike suffers a burnout and will start much slower than your competitors. With practice you should be able to perform the rocket start on every single race. You can also use the countdown "beep" as timing; slam the accelerator after the "2" beeps and perform the rocket start. There you go, now go and practice until you have it down to an art.

Hints:

How to get Everyone Playing the Same Character


If you and your friends want to play as the same character in splitscreen multiplayer, Check this out.

First, one person should select and then deselect the character everyone wants to play as. The next player should select and then deselect the same character. Repeat as required for as many players as you have playing. Then, go back one screen, reselect the character selection screen, and all players should have their icons on the same pre-selected character.

Here's How to Dodge Red and Green Shells while racing


To dodge red shells, put a banana behind you, by either dropping it there or holding it there. When the red shell collides with the banana, its effects will be useless, allowing you to proceed with the race unhindered.

To dodge green shells, use the same technique as above for the red shell, if the shell is heading straight for you or is bounced off a wall. In other situations, use the three-shell weapon. Red or blue shells will protect you from the green shells in these situations.

Dodge those Blue Shells


Here's a great technique you can use when trying to dodge blue shells targeted at you when you're in first place, the trick is to use any type of mushroom. Specifically, use the mushroom when the blue shell begins to rise over you to avoid its blast. You've got to time this well.

How to unlock some cool Characters


To unlock the characters listed below, complete the following requirements as listed.

• Baby Daisy - Earn at least a one star ranking in each 50cc Wii Grand Prix cup races


• Baby Luigi - Unlock eight Expert Staff ghost data in Time Trial mode


• Birdo - Defeat 250 people in online racing, or play Time Trial mode on sixteen different courses


• Bowser Jr. - Earn at least a one star ranking in each 100cc Retro Grand Prix cup races


• Daisy - Win the 150cc Special Cup


• Diddy Kong - Win the 50cc Lightning Cup


• Dry Bones - Win the 100cc Leaf Cup


• Dry Bowser - Earn at least a one star ranking in each 150cc Wii Grand Prix cups


• Funky Kong - Unlock four Expert Staff ghost data in Time Trial mode


• King Boo - Win the 50cc Star Cup


• Mii (Outfit A) - To play as the Mii associated with your profile, win the 100cc Special Cup


• Mii (Outfit B) - To play as the Mii associated with your profile in a different outfit, play through and complete all thirty-two time trials


• Rosalina - Have a Super Mario Galaxy save on your Wii


• Toadette - Play Time Trial Mode on all thirty-two courses.

Now go use what I have given you, and see if you can find any other hidden hints, tips and cheats in the game, I'm sure you can if you look really hard. So until the next time adious amigos. There are plenty more Mario Kart Wii Cheats you can check out here.

Robert Lawrence has written articles and game reviews on Nintendo wii games, you can get even more information on Mario Kart Wii Cheats as well as reviews of the games available for the Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo DS Game Reviews - Crosswords DS

By Michelle Strait

Crosswords DS is just my speed. Why? Because I can solve the puzzles without using a crossword puzzle dictionary. The crossword puzzles in this game, at least on the easy levels, won't drive you nuts. If you're interested in Nintendo DS top games for word lovers, you might want to give this a try.

Not too Hard

So far, the puzzles are enjoyable. I say so far because I haven't solved every puzzle. There are hundreds of puzzles in this collection, so it's going to take awhile to finish them all. Plus, you have to solve all of the puzzles on the easy and medium levels before you can unlock more difficult levels.

My other crossword puzzle game, New York Times Crosswords, is a serious challenge. It can be frustrating sometimes. On the other hand, Crosswords DS is good for when you want to unwind with a simple crossword puzzle. You know, sometimes it's fun to just relax

The Other Games

There's more to Crosswords DS than just crosswords. The games on this cartridge include:

*Crosswords: There's a huge selection of crossword puzzles. You start on Easy or Medium and unlock harder levels as you go along.

*Wordsearch: You are given a list of words to find. You start on easy or medium puzzles and have to solve a certain amount to unlock higher levels.

*Anagrams: You get 6 letters and have to create as many words as you can.

How to Play

This game requires the stylus to play. You write the letter in the square to spell out the answer. It's just like doing a print crossword puzzle. The handwriting recognition is really good, unlike in some other games I've played. I've never had a problem with Crosswords DS understanding my handwriting.

Fun for Teens and Adults

Adults and kids can play Crosswords DS. Well, not little kids but maybe starting at age 13 or so. If you're into crossword puzzles, this game is worth checking out. Or get New York Times Crosswords for something more difficult.

Visit http://nintendods-topgames.com/ for all your Nintendo DS needs. Check out the current recommended game and find the best Nintendo DS top games and accessories.

Garnet Chronicle (Japanese Version) - PSP Review

By Gabriel Chau

Today I had a chance to spend some time on Garnet Chronicle, an anime style RPG game but unfortunately its the Japanese version and as far as I know there is no release date for the English version.

Story and controls

Since its in Japanese, I vaguely know what is going on, so far! Your hero character is a knight student from a Knight academy. Your first quest is to bring a recommendation letter from the principle of the academy to the commander somewhere near the village. All of a sudden the entire battalion is being attacked by an evil looking character and his werewolf like companion, to no surprise, the entire battalion is wiped out and of course our main hero survives but barely and saves by a sexy female elf thief/treasure hunter. From then on, she joins you in the quest for the "Stone of the Evil Mind" (sorry that's a direct translation from Japanese to English). Then once inside the "Tower of Lost" you meet up with another character, this time he's a wizard class and he joins you afterwords. That's how far I am in the game.

The controls are typical walk with your analog stick, R will bring up the map but so far there is no map when venturing inside dungeons, circle is confirm while cross is cancel, typical Japanese style, the American version might have these two buttons reversed. Unfortunately there's no run button so walking around might feel slow at times. You can also save the game anytime and thankfully the menus are in English as well as the Japanese explanation, only the menus though.

Game play and graphics

Game play is pretty much the same old turn based RPG similar to Final Fantasy (up to Final Fantasy X-2 since the battle system has changed starting FF11). You and your enemies will take turns to attack/defend/cast magic on each other. Which is fine except it feels really slow and rather boring, it would make a huge difference if the attack was smoother and faster such that attacks are executed as soon as the one before finished its move. But as you gather more people on your team, the fight gets more interesting and faster so its not too bad after all. Level grinding is also part of the game but not necessary. It is surprisingly fast to level up though, at least for the first 20 or so levels which can really speed up the grinding. As you finish each battle you are rewarded with money, experience, random items and skill points. Skill points can be spent on each character's skill tree to unlock more powerful attack and support skills. Skill points are shared among all your characters unfortunately! And last but not least money you earned from each battle obviously will be for buying weapons, armors and support items. There are also cards and stones that can enhance your weapons such as turning your sword to have ice element and upgrade your special abilities. Treasure chests are scattered all over the map, inside buildings, out in the woods or anywhere in the villages. Some are less obvious as I have found one hidden one so far.

One interesting feature that I have never seen before, at least in an RPG, is the "sneak" feature. When you approach your enemies from behind without being spotted, you can deal damage to them before the battle starts. Same applies to the enemies, if they spotted you, they would run to you and if your back is facing them then you will get attacked first. You will know when your enemies have spotted you when an exclamation mark appears on top of their heads. This feature is independent of who attacks first when the battle begins, so that means there's a chance you can attack twice before an enemies can attack you, same applies to the enemies. If you can utilize this feature you can really gain an upper hand when fighting and makes battles a lot easier.

Graphics are nothing fancy but well drawn anime style. Everything is 2D based but don't let that get you because even though the characters are simple 2D sprites, their expressions and body gestures can be seen clearly depend on the situations. There are also nice flashy special effects when your characters use their special abilities.

One thing I don't like is the fact that, all enemies look the same on the map, so you don't know what kind of enemies you will face until the battle screen comes up. I don't see why the developers cannot make the enemies show up on the map as well. But then again, what if there are more than one type of enemies, which one would they show? Maybe that's the reason why.

Sound

Your typical anime music, your characters and enemies will say something before they attack which makes battle less dull. Sometimes your characters will even voice over during conversations. I can imagine the English translation will be bad and takes away the Japanese "atmosphere" just like any other games that went through the Jape to English translation. In general the music is great most of the time, but sometimes they can get a bit too repetitive and get annoying afterwords.

Final Verdict

Overall I think this game is worth a try, this type of game is nothing new but the game is still enjoyable. I had problems turning off my PSP until it went out of batteries while playing it. That should give you an idea of how addictive and enjoyable this game is, specially for level grinders like myself. Hopefully the American version will be released soon so you English speaking people can enjoy this game as much as I am now. And for those that can read Chinese, Japanese or don't care about the story, you should be able to get a copy from ebay or YESASIA.

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