Hot PXL

Developer: zSlide
Publisher: Atari
Release Date: Oct. 2, 2007
System: PSP
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Yo yo yo what up mah homiez, this be a tight-ass mini-game collection in the HIZZZ-OOOOOOOOUSE! Word.

0:00 I'm an unapologetic fan of WarioWare-style mini-game collections, so this Atari offering of 200 of the things had me intrigued. Not intrigued enough to check it out in the last two years it's been out, but still intrigued enough to put it in my GameFly queue.

0:01 A smiling pixel man in a red shirt and a red-and-yellow ball cap greets me. There's a pyramid of odd pixel people in the background, including one that seems to be a hamburger. Logos erupt in pixilated thunder, then a menu screen shows the guy in the hat with a girl in one corner and a purple monster in another. The Episodes option lets me "Unlock the 10 episodes of PXL lifestyle," whatever that means.

0:02 I choose Normal difficulty in front of a desert that contains an orange sky, a green cactus and a black monster that reminds me of a Troggle. A desert, a cactus and ... a big black thing. Episode 1 is "Underground." A fast-paced video tells me "How to play how Hot PXL!"1. Get what to do. (Via on-screen text.) 2. Find how to do it. Use the analog stick or directional buttons. Press buttons. Or try anything else! (Um, what else is there?) 3. Finally perform! Ready?" I guess so? I don't remember WarioWare needing a video like this.

0:03 Inexplicably, the game leads off with a short video of an old white guy in hip-hop garb coming out of a bunker and blowing dust off a record. Umm...

0:04 The first game just tells me to "Shoot." At first I think the tiny blue box is a target reticle. Nope, it's a ship that shifts left and right. X shoots two shots that take out two black squares up at the top of the screen. A between-game stat box tells me I'm "still on track to perfect." Er, thanks!

***-->CONTINUE READING AT CRISPY GAMER<--***

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Race Pro

Developer: SimBin
Publisher: Atari
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2009
System: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Just another racing game.

0:00 When a game has a name as incredibly generic as "Race Pro" you know it's going be a train wreck or transcendent. Either way, should be a fun hour.

0:01 A bunch of animated logos precede a plain, gray metal title screen, complete with ultra-shiny "RACE PRO" logo. The menu has some grainy stock racing footage running along a bar up top and some generic synth-pop thumping in the background. It's the NASCAR version of a rave!

0:02 The speedometer defaults to metric units. You're in America now, bub! Speak American!

0:03 The control settings include the most detailed analog sensitivity settings I've ever seen. Steering sensitivity is divided into three sectors, plus I can set up "dead zones" for the throttle and brakes. A bit much for most players, I'd imagine, but someone might appreciate it.

0:05 "In Career Mode, become a professional racing driver and earn a living by racing for different teams." OK, I will! First there's the tryout, then races, where I can earn the credits I need to buy new contracts, cars, etc. Let's start at the start with "Group A." It's a Mini Cooper race! Awesome! Like "The Italian Job"!

***-->CONTINUE READING AT CRISPY GAMER<--***

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Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit

Developer: Dimps
Publisher: Atari
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Systems: PS3 (reviewed), Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Defeat the universe's most powerful fighters with a single button.

0:00 In high school, I watched this iconic anime up through the Frieza Saga. Then, in college, I watched my roommate play a truly awful-looking fighting game based in the same universe. Have things gotten any better in the intervening years? Let's find out!

0:01 The Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit preview screen plays this endearing, aggressively metal instrumental ballad in a 15-second loop. IT'S BURROWING INTO MY BRAIN!

0:02 After roughly a bazillion logos slowly scroll by, the same metal theme comes in, this time with a Japanese singer and close-ups of some of the major characters powering up in a sepia tone. Cut to the title over a desert planet, then back to scenes from the game. They've done a good job of making 3-D characters that look a lot like they are drawn anime characters. The art style is very strong.

0:03 If you're not familiar with "Dragon Ball Z," this random montage of characters fighting and glowing and exploding and such is going to be incredibly confusing. Then again, if you aren't familiar with "Dragon Ball Z," why in the world did you pick up this game?

0:04 I love the way "MAIN MENU" is displayed in huge red capital letters on the menu. EXTREME! The music has transitioned from metal ballad to bluesy jazz riff.

0:06 After tinkering with the menus, it's off to the Tutorial to "Learn fundamental battle moves." "Okay, let's begin, Gohan," says the tall, green, gruff-voiced Piccolo. "The Saiyans are gonna be here soon." Then he compliments Gohan on his outfit. Er ... OK.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

Atari Classics: Evolved

Developer: Stainless Games
Publisher: Atari
Release Date: Nov. 20, 2007
System: PSP
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: I can't really summarize it better than the title.
0:00 I think I've played most of these arcade "classics" at some point during my Chuck E. Cheese-saturated youth, so I'm looking forward to a portable, nostalgic romp. Already, I'm enamored by the clear case that surrounds the UMD disc.

0:01 Nice, simple menu design. First up is Battlezone, which I actually haven't played in the arcades. The game's already making a liar out of me!

0:03 I'm navigating a green field from a first-person perspective. There are some occasional holographic green obstacles, but the field is pretty empty. My vehicle handles like a tank, which I suppose is appropriate.

0:04 In addition to the radar, the HUD tells me when there's an "enemy in front" or an "enemy to right," etc. Good thing, because it's hard to tell the enemy tanks from the regular obstacles.

0:05 The game seems to be sending only one tank at a time, and if they end up behind me, I'm toast. This may have seemed revolutionary when it first came out, but now it just seems kind of dull. I do like the updated techno soundtrack, though.

0:06 There are 11 games to get through, so I've got to keep moving. Millipede is up next. I predict I'm going to miss the arcade game's trackball.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer

Jenga: World Tour

Developer: Atomic Planet Entertainment
Publisher: Atari
Release Date: Dec. 7, 2007
System: Wii
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Jenga without the need to clean up those pesky blocks. Or, y'know, have fun.

0:00 I've heard pretty bad things about this one, but I just had to see for myself how Atari could mess up a concept as great as moving Jenga blocks with the Wii remote.

0:01 "Jenga: Edge-of-your-seat fun! There is only one Jenga!" brags the introductory animation. The game tells me I need to plug in a Nunchuk. Really? Somehow the real version got by with one-handed controls.

0:02 The word "Jenga" bounces hypnotically on a title screen with undulating colored blocks at the edges and a scrolling, blue, Jenga-filled background. A weird techno-synth-pop background plays. Whoa! Trippy!

0:03 On to the tutorial. "Study this carefully and you should have everything you need to become a great Jenga player!" Should? What if I don't? What then? WHAT THEN?!

0:04 For those who don't know, Jenga involves taking blocks from the middle of a wooden tower and placing them on the top without toppling them over. Also, you should really get out of the house more.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer