WiiWare's Swords and Soldiers marches to PSN this fall

You ever have one of those moments where a certain piece of news reminds you to do something or other? I just had one such moment with tonight's announcement that the WiiWare real-time strategy hit, Swords & Soldiers, is headed to the PlayStation 3 this fall.

Not quite sure what's happening here, but then,
chaotic battles always look like that, so...

The game, for those not in the know, is basically a dumbed-down RTS game that was notable for it's pick-up-and-play style gameplay, and featured nice and colorful art style. It was released back in June of last year, and garnered quite a good response from critics, as it currently holds a score of 84 on Metacritic. As far as scores go, that's not bad given the less than stellar quality of the majority of the WiiWare library.

I myself haven't downloaded the game yet -- I was too busy with the excellent BIT.TRIP games last year (which you should totally buy) -- but it most certainly piqued my curiosity. I think it was when the guys over at GameSpot UK had one of the game's developers on their podcast that I decided that I would have to check it out. Well, that and the large amounts of hype it built up. I mean, it had to be doing something right, right?

So anyway, the PSN version. What's new? Well, for starters, there's trophies (*yawn*) and high-definition visuals (always a plus when it comes to 2D art). The big addition, however, looks to be the online multiplayer. No specific details were revealed, but I suspect it'll be a simple one-on-one type skirmish in the same vain as the offline split-screen action from the WiiWare version. Should be fun if they can pull it off correctly.

Joystiq happened to find a listing for the game on the PC over at the ESRB's Website as well, so all you PC gamers out there should be able to partake in the action, too. Personally, though, I think I might just wait for the PSN version. I mean, come on -- online multiplayer and gorgeous HD art? Sounds like a recipe for success to me!

[Via Joystiq and Destructoid]

Hey, Capcom: Bring this collectors edition state-side!

I'm probably the biggest hypocrite in the world. I've often criticized collector's editions of videogames for their outrageous prices and frivolous extras, claiming that their pointless existence is only good for milking us for every penny we own. Put simply, I think these things are dumb and a waste of money.

But the first thought upon seeing this collector's edition for Okamiden? Something along the lines of, "Gimme gimme gimme!", or "I must have that NOW!" Yep: biggest hypocrite in the world right here, folks.

Here's a look at what's it's got:

Wonder what's on those CDs...
(Picture courtesy of Destructoid)

Not much, I know, but for someone like me who's absolutely nuts about Okami, this is a pretty sweet package. Though that $90 price tag is, uh, a little out of my price range. There's also the fact that, predictably, this probably won't be coming out in the U.S. (But I can hope, can't I?)

Well, at least I still have the game itself to look forward to, as well as the original to play. That's something.

Okami DS Collector's Edition is insane, cute [Destructoid]

Author's note: I've been told that I forgot to add the word every to the second clause of the second sentence. That is now fixed. And you have now been told. That is all. Carry on.

Kmart begins posting user reviews for videogames on store shelves

If you've ever wandered through the player review section of any major videogame Website, you've probably noticed that most, if not all of the reviews are, well, junk. Heck, just look at some of the horrid works being posted on GameStop, such as this gem of an excerpt from user MapleHead321's review for God of War III:

"If you only like shooting games and your not a fan of action adventure games and you never played or own a God of War then you need to pick up all 3 games on the same day, because you will like this game a whole lot. I recommend this to you for so many reasons that i can't even explain."

Uh, yeah... sure... whatever.

So, with that being the standard for most user reviews across the Web, you'd think that people would be smart enough to not -- you know -- publish them in print. Seems Kmart isn't of that majority, however, as they recently revealed that they will be posting user reviews from their Website on the covers of games being sold in their store.

Out of all the places I thought would do this, I never expected it to be a retail outlet. A small videogame site, sure, but a store? That's just plain crazy talk. I mean, you can't expect them of all people to post actual, constructive criticism for their products, right?

Except they totally are. Just take a look at what they're looking for in these "reviews":

• Helpful and constructive (emphasis added)
• Unique and well-written
• Written for an audience that may be made up of non-gamers; your review will be read by gamers and non-gamers of all ages
• About a title released in the last month or so, or a more "evergreen" title (Example: Red Dead Redemption or NCAA Football 11) that will be prominently featured on store shelves for several months.
• Abide by the MyKmart terms of service
• Describes what the gamer should expect, rather than simply saying the game is "good" or "bad."

Okay, so you've got some half-way decent guidelines in place. But I still don't trust it. I mean, there's gotta be a catch of some sort, right? Like maybe they'll only publish reviews that show games in a positive light? That seems to be the most likely course of action. They are in the shady business of selling things for cash, after all. Editorial integrity doesn't seem like a top priority for them.

Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm being too harsh on them. I mean, it's possible that they actually do care about delivering honest to god reviews, right?

...

Nah, that would never happen.

Still, I'm curious to see how this will develop. The last retail outlet that tried something along these lines -- Best Buy with their gaming magazine @Gamer -- didn't exactly get a good response from the community. I know this is only a volunteer thing (they specifically stated that users who get featured will not get any benefits like free games or anything), unlike Best Buy's efforts, which was a full-on publication, but even so, I can't shake the feeling of shadiness around the whole thing.

What do you all think? Is this as stupid as it sounds? Or there some sort of use for this? Post your thoughts below.

[Via Giant Bomb]