Tower Defense Goes Mainstream

The tower defense genre has an interesting history. It started out as a diversion in Warcraft III, a game most would probably consider pretty hardcore. But then it took a turn towards the casual, with numerous flash and mobile phone versions. But now, with Ninjatown and other similar titles, the pendulum seems to be swinging back around once again, bringing Tower Defense to retail.

If you enjoy Ninjatown, you should check out some of the similar free online alternatives:

http://www.kongregate.com/games/preecep/desktop-tower-defense-1-5
http://www.kongregate.com/games/Ninjakiwi/bloons-tower-defense-3
http://www.kongregate.com/games/gameinabottle/gemcraft

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In a Sequel Necessary?

Loco Roco was an interesting game. It was cute, charming, and a lot of fun. It remains, to this day, one of my favorite PSP games. And that's saying something, considering how fleshed out the system's library has become.

Yet, I'm having a hard time getting excited about this sequel. It seems like one of the biggest things the original had going for it was its pure imagination and originality. Even if Loco Roco 2 improves on the original in every measurable metric, it still won't be able to capture that same sense of "newness."

In a way, it reminds me of the Katamari Damacy series. I LOVED the original, and played it to death. I assumed that such a quirky game would never get a sequel. When it did, I was overjoyed and bought it day one, only to discover that sometime in between I'd gotten over the series. I barely ended up playing We Love Katamari, and haven't bought any of the subsequent entries in the franchise.

Will Loco Roco 2 be this way, too? I can't say for certain, but it feels that way.

-Justin Davis

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Sequel so soon?

Maybe this is unfair, but it's a little hard to see how Activision has anything but dollar signs in its eyes with On Tour: Decades. It's coming out just five months after its predecessor. Is that some kind of record?

Regardless of its release timing, a rhythm game is only as good as its track list, and it's here that Decades truly shines. Blind Melon, Journey, Weezer, The Darkness... it truly is an impressive selection.

I still most likely won't be adding Decades to my Christmas list (the peripheral is just a little too awkward for me), but the track list sure is tempting. I guess we'll see...

-Justin Davis

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Castlevania'd Out

Never did I think I would hear myself saying this, but... I just can't get excited about Order of Ecclesia. I've owned (and loved) ALL of the Metroidvania titles that have graced handhelds the last several years. Circle of the Moon all the way up through Portrait of Ruin.

So... what's the problem? I'm not exactly sure. It almost feels like it might be too much of a good thing. After playing and loving Symphony of the Night, if someone would have told me "You're going to get more Castlevania titles in this same vein - MANY more of them, in fact. Almost one every year!" I would have been overjoyed.

But the truth is... the games themselves are just as good as ever. They haven't changed. What's changed is my desire for them. I think I've finally (God help me for saying this)... had my fill of Metroidvania.

Will I buy Ecclesia? Yes, eventually. Will I love it? Almost assuredly. But will I ever be as excited about a Castlevania announcement as I was in the GBA Metroidvania days? I doubt it.

-Justin Davis

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