Χ-Play (2003)

Mario Party 6, Spider-Man 2 DS, Bard's Tale and more! (3x3)

Air date: Jan 19, 2005

On tonight's all-new episode of X-Play, we look at another Mario Party game. Nintendo and Hudson Soft have released the latest iteration of that perennial party favorite. Truth be told, we’re more than a little sick of the series, which hasn’t had a fresh idea since before any of us was born. But Mario Party 6 is different, or at least different enough to make those of you who’ve given up on the series stop and take a second look. However, the innovation in Mario Party 6 isn’t where you think it is. Spider-Man 2 for the DS hits just in time for the movie’s release on DVD, and X-Play takes a look at how Nintendo’s newest system handles everyone’s favorite web-slinger. Eager true believers will find a mix of superb graphics, familiar villains, and, unfortunately, frustrating level design. If nothing else, Spider-Man 2 is certainly one of the best looking launch titles for the DS, but at a list price of $40, most gamers will likely want more than just a pretty picture. There are few things more important in life than fitting in. Why hang with the geeks and losers when you can be cool, and hang with the popular crowd? Such is the moral lesson being taught by EA, who has taken its Sims franchise to the next level. No longer will you suffer the drudgery of life in suburbia. Now, your on-screen persona can speak in gibberish and pee themselves in a whole new setting -- the big city! And parents take note: The Urbz for Nintendo’s DS is perhaps the newest way that today’s young socialites-to-be can practice their best social-climbing moves, assuring them success in tomorrow's dog-eat-dog world! Most of you probably haven’t heard of the original Bard’s Tale, and if you have...well, we’ll need to have a demographics talk with our marketing people. The Bard’s Tale for Xbox is actually a pseudo-revival of a late '80s RPG series. The original was a first-person dungeon crawl featuring the latest in CGA graphics and fantasy clichés, and this