You’ll have to forgive me for assuming that this title would be a throw away because so many games based on existing literary licenses are suspect. I’m glad I took some time to give this a try, though, because it’s an interesting little thing.

You play as Dorothy, and after the first introductory level when you get practice at the basics of combat and collect your three companions – the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man – you come face to face with the Wizard himself. He explains that the four witches of the north, south, east, and west are preventing him from protecting his citizens, and only Dorothy and her team can deal with the witchy menace.

Then you’re off to confront the witches, but something doesn’t seem quite right. Along the way you’ll get the real story of what’s going on in Oz.

The actual game play is simple. The lower touch screen is the only interface you use. Dorothy moves by swiping a virtual trackpad and the turn-based combat is accomplished by tapping the screen. It’s not difficult, by any means, and the level design is uninspired and cookie-cutter, but as an introduction to turn-based adventures, you could do worse.

And because we’re getting a subverted Wizard of Oz story along the way, we’ll give this a passing grade.

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight

In the latest edition of the Georgia Straight is my “Trigger Happy” column. This week, I preview Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which releases next week.

‘Lest we forget’ is the message we hear every November, but that hasn’t diminished the popularity of video games about armed conflict. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is no exception. Developed by Infinity Ward, the game will be released on November 10 and is expected to be one of the best-selling games of the year.

Also this week, capsule reviews of Dragon Age: Origins and Borderlands.

While another hockey video game has made a point of simulating the experience of hockey as accurately as possible, the Wii version of 2K Sports’ take on the game is much more friendly.

You can not only get games going with the full complement of NHL squads and national teams, in season, playoff, and tournament modes, but you can also enjoy a game of pond hockey. There is a collection of mini games served up as a skills competition which will have you competing against your siblings and rivals for bragging rights in hardest shot, fastest skater, accuracy shooting, goaltending, and a breakaway relay.

The Wii version of NHL 2K10 isn’t trying to look perfect or claim lifelike movement, it just wants to be fun and easy to play.

Which is why it’s so frustrating that the motion-sensing controls for the Wii version of NHL 2K10 are so tweaky. Even with the Wii MotionPlus add-on to the Remote, which ostensibly makes the controllers more accurate, passing, shooting, and player control are inconsistent and scream-inducing.

To make matters worse, there isn’t even a tutorial to instruct new players on how to use the controls. They are left to puzzle out what, exactly, they’re supposed to do. Even the printed manual that comes with the game is vague.

Not so friendly after all. You’re better off playing with buttons only using the classic controller. But that kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?

NHL 2K10 is the only hockey game available for the Wii, so it’s doubly disappointing that the controls are so aggravating. Otherwise, this might not be such a bad game to play.

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight

Trine (Novilis; PC, PS3; rated everyone)

This side-scrolling action game is like many that have been released recently that operate in two dimensions — you move the characters left and right, up and down — but are presented with 3D graphics. How Trine sets itself apart, however, is by telling a compelling story set in a place of wizards, knights, and thieves.

You’ll play as all three of those character types, too, as the trio of heroes find themselves trying to restore a kingdom in decay. Each of them is voiced by actors that are skilled enough to enliven the characters, and a narrator, sounding like a eminence grise, provides setting and context for the tale.

While there are enemies to fight, the challenges with Trine come from the environmental puzzles that you’ll solve in order to continue with your quest. There are multiple solutions to these puzzles, so you can use any of the characters to figure them out. To get up to a balcony, for example, the thief can use her grappling hook, the wizard can create and levitate a stone block to climb upon, or the knight could smash the supports to bring the balcony to him.

Trine is a simple and fun game to play, only elevated by the art direction and voice acting.

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight

Not much has changed in the Katamari games since Katamari Damacy, the first one, was released in 2004. And while the core of Katamari Forever is the same as its predecessors, there enough new elements have been injected to make this edition worth checking out.

Here’s what’s the same. The objective: create larger and larger accretion balls by rolling them around and picking up objects from the environment.

Also the same are the blocky, psychedelic graphics and the same quirky characters: the Prince and the cousins.

The story, such as it is, is new. The King, beaned by a black star while flying through the heavens, has gone into a coma. A robot replacement RoboKing, flies into the cosmos and destroys all the stars.

It’s up to the Prince to restore the cosmos by constructing katamaris to become replacement stars and planets. The Prince will also go into the King’s mind to help him recover his memories. These levels are presented in black and white, with colour slowly seeping back into the picture.

Also new in Katamari Forever is that when you fail a level, you play a mini game, and when you’ve succeeded you watch a short, 20-second episode of a movie that is as bizarre as the game itself.

The controls have been altered, too. You can now execute a “dash” to move quickly for a short distance, you can do quick 180s in order to reverse direction, and you can get some vertical by flickng the PS3 controller up and performing a “Prince Hop”.

The new feature that you’ll most appreciate, though, is the power-up. By rolling over a heart, indicated by a rainbow cylinder, you’ll pull in all objects in the immediate surroundings of your katamari. Finding one of those at just the right time can really make a difference.

Cross-posted at the Georgia Straight