2008 Woodie Awards
Recent Video Game Releases
Billy O'Keefe / Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
Issue date: 2/6/06 Section: Entertainment
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DEVIL MAY CRY 3: DANTE'S AWAKENING:
SPECIAL EDITION
For: Playstation 2
From: Capcom
It is official: Capcom loves us. Nothing else can explain the special edition of Devil May Cry 3, which belongs right next to Ninja Gaiden Black on the short list of special editions that truly are special. Capcom took one of the best games of 2005, made it accessible for those who could not get past level two, and threw in a wad of awesome new content for everyone else.
The original DMC3's crushing difficulty made it a game only the boldest of thumbs could handle. The special edition addresses this very arguable shortcoming by introducing a new checkpoint system that allows you to die in a level without being whisked all the way back to the beginning. You can also play as protagonist Dante's brother Vergil, who not only makes the game's barrage of enemies slightly easier to handle but also adds his own perspective to the storyline. Look for Vergil and his unique arsenal of attacks to get their own game someday. A character this fun to control deserves nothing less.
Those offended by Capcom's softer stance need not fret: The new DMC3 boasts an all-new Very Hard mode and a new boss character to fight, but there is also the Turbo Mode, which speeds up the entire game by 20 percent. Not enough? Try out the new Bloody Palace mode, which feeds you thousands of waves of enemies without any storyline interference. Still not seeing the value? Look at the $20 price tag. See it now?
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APE ESCAPE 3
For: Playstation 2
From: Sony
Ape Escape 3 is the kind of game that will either please you to no end or bore you to sleep. If you liked the preceding two games - leave the mini-game compilations out of the equation - you will most likely love the third chapter, which is, for better or worse, extremely faithful. If you could not feel those games, you likely will not care for this one for the exact same reason.
On the surface, AE3 looks, sounds and plays almost identically to its predecessor. The basic classifications of googly-eyed monkeys remain the same, the graphical style has not really evolved, the voice acting is somewhat comically undercooked and the object (capture all the monkeys) and methods for doing so (vehicles, gadgets and lots of running and jumping) remain largely the same. The big change in AE3, as the silly but funny story explains, comes in the ability to transform into new personalities - a genie, a cowboy, a ninja and others - and assume their powers. Certain objectives can be completed only when taking certain forms, but you are generally allowed to assume a form whenever the spirit moves you.
SPECIAL EDITION
For: Playstation 2
From: Capcom
It is official: Capcom loves us. Nothing else can explain the special edition of Devil May Cry 3, which belongs right next to Ninja Gaiden Black on the short list of special editions that truly are special. Capcom took one of the best games of 2005, made it accessible for those who could not get past level two, and threw in a wad of awesome new content for everyone else.
The original DMC3's crushing difficulty made it a game only the boldest of thumbs could handle. The special edition addresses this very arguable shortcoming by introducing a new checkpoint system that allows you to die in a level without being whisked all the way back to the beginning. You can also play as protagonist Dante's brother Vergil, who not only makes the game's barrage of enemies slightly easier to handle but also adds his own perspective to the storyline. Look for Vergil and his unique arsenal of attacks to get their own game someday. A character this fun to control deserves nothing less.
Those offended by Capcom's softer stance need not fret: The new DMC3 boasts an all-new Very Hard mode and a new boss character to fight, but there is also the Turbo Mode, which speeds up the entire game by 20 percent. Not enough? Try out the new Bloody Palace mode, which feeds you thousands of waves of enemies without any storyline interference. Still not seeing the value? Look at the $20 price tag. See it now?
---
APE ESCAPE 3
For: Playstation 2
From: Sony
Ape Escape 3 is the kind of game that will either please you to no end or bore you to sleep. If you liked the preceding two games - leave the mini-game compilations out of the equation - you will most likely love the third chapter, which is, for better or worse, extremely faithful. If you could not feel those games, you likely will not care for this one for the exact same reason.
On the surface, AE3 looks, sounds and plays almost identically to its predecessor. The basic classifications of googly-eyed monkeys remain the same, the graphical style has not really evolved, the voice acting is somewhat comically undercooked and the object (capture all the monkeys) and methods for doing so (vehicles, gadgets and lots of running and jumping) remain largely the same. The big change in AE3, as the silly but funny story explains, comes in the ability to transform into new personalities - a genie, a cowboy, a ninja and others - and assume their powers. Certain objectives can be completed only when taking certain forms, but you are generally allowed to assume a form whenever the spirit moves you.