| SPECIALS: The Pokemon Trading Figure Game
Now we've gotta spin' em all! Discuss it in Talkback! If you're a Penny Arcade reader, you've probably learned of the Pokemon Trading Figure Game. Gabe has been hawking it for a few weeks now. In fact, that's how I first learned of the game, and I swore on my dead lizard's grave that when I saw the game on the shelves of the local comic shop, I'd give it a shot. So barely more than a week ago, that day came, and I bought everything I'd need for a two-player game. And then—and this is the magical part—I got my wife to play with me. The Pokemon Trading Figure Game (TFG) is tough to understand without actually playing it. Each player has three (or six) Pokemon, and a Trainer figure. The players lay out a map, on which the action takes place.
Video Game Delays Are A Slap In The Face
Game delays are like the physical equivalent to being slapped in the face and being offered an ice pack two months after the fact. Well not a slap to the face, maybe just a punch to the stomach. Game developers in their infinite wisdom and kindly nature find it in their best interest to get the gaming public overwhelmingly excited about an upcoming game and then move the date of its release so far-off in the future that you lose any hope of playing that game before your next birthday.
Developers may even postpone a title's release so far in the future that you might not see yourself playing video games at that time, but rather raising your grandchildren. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but different developers have a variety of different reasons for delaying games - some of them are good reasons, some are bad reasons and some are reasons the public at large may never understand.
Folklore Review
Using a soul to beat someone up sounds like sort of a strange hook for a game, but the quirky title Folklore from Game Republic offers exactly that. While it may appear to be sort of an RPG/action hybrid a more apt description would be a beat-em-up with a deep story, a brawler with some avatar advancement. Combining elements of such disparate titles as Silent Hill, Pokemon, and Final Fight, with a dash of PS3 motion-control (that actually works!) on top, the title's pitch stands out in a year already filled with unique offerings. The gameplay depth you experience in the first hour of play, unfortunately, is more or less the depth you'll experience throughout the game. Despite that, there's a lot to like here - especially for fans of things that go bump in the night. Read on for my impressions of this dark fantasy given form.
Weber sees Illini need for scoring
By now you should be ready for the 2007-08 men's collegiate basketball season that began recently with exhibition games that left this observer wondering if any upsets would cause reference to football and Appalachian State's defeat of Michigan.For the University of Illinois, the preseason foes were Quincy and Kentucky Wesleyan, members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference of the NCAA Division II level.But on Sunday, the University of Illinois opened its 2007-08 campaign against Northeastern U. of Boston, which posted a 13-19 overall record last season, including a 9-9 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association.Illinois, meanwhile, comes off a 23-12 season, including 9-7 in the Big Ten Conference, that was one of the strangest in school history as the result of six players missing a combined 58 games and 200 practices due to injury.Despite the injuries and using seven different starting lineups, Coach Bruce Weber led Illinois into the first round of the NCAA tournament (and a 54-52 loss to Virginia Tech in which the Illini were outscored 12-0 to end the game).The 23 wins marked the eighth consecutive season that the Illini posted 22 or more victories.
Holiday calendar—neighborhood holiday celebrations
Christmas Trees: The South Baltimore Little League sells Christmas trees at its fields, 454 E. Fort Avenue. Trees will be available until sold out. Delivery is available. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday from noon-9 p.m., and on Sunday noon-6 p.m. All proceeds benefit SBLL. Info: Darlene 410-294-3486. The Optimist Club of Dundalk will hold its annual Christmas tree sale Nov. 30-Dec. 22 at its clubhouse, 4528 North Point Boulevard. Hours are Mondays through Fridays, noon-9 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Fresh wreaths and other seasonal items will also be sold. Proceeds support the Optimists' community youth programs. Info: 410-388-0320. Mitten Tree: The Department of Public Works hosts its annual mitten tree in the lobby of the Abel Wolman Building, 200 Holliday Street, beginning Thursday, Nov.
Black Caps gear up for tough match
New Zealand coach John Bracewell believes his team can take heart from the way they pushed South Africa until the last over in the Pro20 match last Friday and the first MTN one-day international (ODI) in Durban on Sunday. South Africa won the Pro20 with a ball to spare and the ODI off the last ball of the match. "The recognition is that South Africa are a very good side, particularly at home, and any win is a tough win. We've got to take some confidence out of the fact that we pushed them to the last over in two games," Bracewell said on Wednesday. "We are starting to put together some batting performances the bowlers can attempt to defend. It's more about fighting every game, and seeing where we are after three games and not so much looking at the fact that we're one-nil down. "We've got to move together as a unit.
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