Check out my review of the downloadable title Scarygirl.

If you’ve been following news for the PlayStation Vita, then you’ve probably heard about one of the biggest obstacles to new buyers: the outrageously priced memory cards. These babies were reported to run from $30 (4 GB) to $120 (32 GB), but now Sony claims gamers will be charged in the $20 to $100 range. That’s really not any better if you ask me, especially since I’m doubting we’ll get much use out of the lower end cards. Vita games are being compared to full PlayStation titles in terms of raw power and graphics, and I’m as afraid of the sickly battery life as I am how much memory each game will require.

At least something good has come out of the latest report from Sony: a launch line-up. You can see the entire list on the PlayStation blog, but here are a few that interest me. These titles vary from $10 to $50. Of course, you can snag all first-party games and some accessories and third-party titles with the week-early purchase of the First Edition Vita bundle.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Now that Naughty Dog has announced The Last of Us, it looks like they’re putting the lid on Uncharted. This is probably a strategic move on Sony’s behalf, considering it raises the incentive for fans to buy the Vita and play one more Nathan Drake adventure. Seeing on video how the various motion and button controls work with player preferences rather than against them is what sold me on the handheld.

Escape Plan (PSN only)

This is one of the more unique games in Sony’s Vita line-up. In Escape Plan (by Fun Bits Interactive), players guide Lil and Laarg through an environment laden with traps. The predominantly grey color scheme has indie written all over it, and the premise and humorous style promise something more refreshing than another cog in the giant first-person shooter machine companies are so fond of nowadays.

Army Corps of Hell (Square Enix)

Square Enix’s Army Corps of Hell combines Nintendo’s Pikmin with goblins and giant demons. The dethroned King of Hell commands the mini corps on a mission to reclaim his rightful place in the underworld. Annihilating enemies and looting corpses might make this game sound gruesome, but the idea is pretty charming.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories

I’m still not sure what I think of this one. At its best, Silent Hill is a single-player horror experience, and any hint of co-op (like in Homecoming) waters down the mood. Hello, hear those sirens? Better stay away! Regardless, developer WayForward intends on delivering a collaborative multiplayer game from a top-down, or isometric, perspective. I’ll be playing it because I’m a huge SH nerd, but this sounds like an attempted knock-off of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light to me.

Touch My Katamari

If you can forgive the salacious name, which makes me want to roll my eyes while everyone else giggles unstoppably, then Namco Bandai’s newest Katamari is probably a good thing, even if it fails to impress. I can’t imagine a better game to lure in the more casual crowd. Katamari is simple but addictive fun.

What titles are you looking forward to? Do you plan to buy a Vita, or wait until the price drops (like, by a lot)?

If Square Enix doesn’t bring Theatrhythm Final Fantasy to North America, I might have to cast Toad on them. Find out why this quirky music game is such a smart move for the long-running series and why fans will love it.

I love me some Dragon Quest! Check out my review of Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 on GameZone. Between old-fashioned Slimes and Teeny Sanguinis, Joker 2 is a safari not viewed from the safety of your car.

Lara Croft returns, but this time she’s not raiding any tombs. Paired with a spear-chucking Mayan warrior named Totec, Lara must shoot her way to stopping Xolotl, an embittered god who’s broken free from the legendary mirror of smoke.

Finally, a next generation Croftian adventure that reminds me of why I adored the series to begin with—only Guardian of Light doesn’t bear the Tomb Raider namesake. Available on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, this downloadable title keeps the usual mechanics—shoot and jump and solve puzzles—and introduces a few new ones. Think of it as co-operative Tomb Raider on a smaller scale.

Of the fourteen levels, each one masters its creative potential. Gamers will face exciting and relatively glitch-free challenges in every arena and spider pit. Controls are tightly implemented, weapons practically fall into your lap, and enemies never bore, stomping onto the screen in hordes that can easily overpower negligent players. But for the vigilant archeologist, Guardian of Light rarely disappoints. Puzzles range from straightforward to brain-teasing, but unlike most Tomb Raider obstacles, these ones won’t induce a headache upon approach. The game plays fair.

Visually, the game looks amazing, rich in environmental detail and with careful design for bullet patterns and enemy rampages. Content-wise, the game delivers enough for two or three replays: point bonuses award extra weapons and the artifacts and relics that supplement them. Players can collect special red skulls and shiny gems that boost individual scores, but besides the constant friendly competition for points, the interaction between Lara and Totec constitutes most of the enjoyment. Overcoming traps or pitfalls by grappling Totec to safety, throwing spears for Lara to leap across, or tight-roping across the British bombshell’s rope makes excellent use of the moves at the characters’ disposal. Each encounter feels fresh and defined, and the game is packed with much-welcomed surprises.

The single-player campaign eliminates the obligation for Totec to assist, giving Lara everything she needs to complete an area by herself. Troublesome AI, begone. Of course, your partner’s removal also diminishes some otherwise complicated situations, so it’s up to players to choose which game mode will satisfy them more.

The music sticks to the standard Tomb Raider brand, and the story is cheesy fun, with Xolotl retreating at nearly every turn after a melodramatic speech about humans and the end of the world, but the gameplay definitely takes the gold in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Crystal Dynamics, after years of frustration, pulls off a new and improved Tomb Raider property. If ditching the middleman name was the requisite, than bring on the new adventures of Lara Croft. 9/10

Sentinels of the Starry Skies, that is—as in Dragon Quest IX. Apparently the title scored four million copies sold in Japan, and now Nintendo means to introduce westerners to the Square-Enix game.

Square-Enix and Nintendo have built themselves a nice little raft comprised of those four million and are now floating out to sea together. Okay, maybe that was a little excessive, but you get my drift (literally). At the Summit in San Francisco yesterday Nintendo announced that it will be handling NA publishing duties for the DS game.

Despite the Alan Moore-esque metaphor, this sounds like cheery news to me granted the game doesn’t flop. I could use a Dragon Quest fix, even though I still can’t swallow my pride and accept that the series is now known around the globe as “Dragon Quest,” and not “Dragon Warrior.” What can I say? When it comes to RPGs, I’m a sucker for dragons and orbs (boooo crystals).

Are you holding your breath in excitement for Sentinels of the Starry Skies (which is a weird name if I ever heard one)?

[Konami]

Another Bleepin’ Blips article is on the front page of RadNerd—and this time it deals with none other than Final Fantasy. But what’s not to like about Final Fantasy, you ask? Just hop on over to RN and find out, and leave a comment under the tree! I want to know what you think!

Happy holidays! Drink lots of special eggnog!

Do you suffer from uncontrollable, bleepin’ rage at something in the gaming industry? Have you smashed TVs by flinging controllers, or made your thumbs bleed with all that unrewarded determination and mad skillz you’ve been dishing out? Here at RadNerd, we feel your pain. Literally. This new ongoing feature will channel our anger in a healthy way … we hope.

Fans of the runaway savior, Final Fantasy, know its golden past with fervor and pride. Given life by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the original RPG was devised to save Square from what looked like inevitable bankruptcy and doom. But gamers loved the shining NES gem—with its Light Warriors and sleeping elf princes and time conundrums—and the rest is … well, history.

Over the years, Final Fantasy has earned a reputation for more than just stellar graphic innovations and remarkable storytelling: It’s also put on its weight in hours. Each installment seems to bring another clock bursting with minutes that shower down upon gamers in pretty little sparkles, dazzling them with expansive worlds, epic battles, and tear-jerking plotlines. But is it becoming too much? Has the scurrying of feisty Chocobos feet swept dust over that line that begs, “Enough is enough?” Should I make like a Cactuar and flee already?

Spring holds some pretty nifty things in store for us gamers, two of which are sure to be a hit. Final Fantasy XIII finally (no pun intended) struck a release date for March 9, 2010, but while you’re drooling over gorgeous pixels, you better prepare for a throwback to nostalgic blocky ones.

FFXIII will hit the North American shores only four months after its Japanese debut, and the game will be available on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles—a simultaneous first. Details about the game’s battle system, gameplay mechanics, music, and modes have officially surged the internet. Players can set a line-up of commands in a single turn via a multi-slot ATB gauge, which allows for a string of consecutive attacks or a fiercer pounding by expending multiple slots. The Paradigm Shift lets characters switch roles mid-battle to roll with the ever-changing punches. And as previously described, Gestalt mode transforms summons (Eidolons) into a vehicle/passenger force—Odin changes into a horse, Shiva into a motorcycle, etc. The latter feature sounds a bit odd, but depending on how it’s implemented into the game, it could be pretty cool.

Plus, fans of the English pop and R&B singer Leona Lewis can hear her song, “My Hands,” included in the soundtrack’s mix. “Leona is a natural fit with the game’s powerful themes and strong female protagonist,” revealed Tom Corson, EVP/GM, RCA Music Group. “We’re delighted to be part of this effort, bringing great musical artistry to Final Fantasy XIII which is a riveting and dynamic gaming experience.” You can listen to the track here. What do you think? A potentially perfect fit, or a bit strange for a FF game?

On a later note, Atlus will be importing the pixel-heavy 3D Dot Game Heroes for US release on the PS3 this upcoming May 11 for the hopeful price of $40—especially generous for an import. The game looks like The Legend of Zelda with a touch of Dragon Warrior, which is an awesome combination as far as I’m concerned. Players will explore monster-plagued lands and dungeons and solve puzzles in a quest to save a kingdom from the devastating effects of a 2D to 3D world conversion. Hot damn, sign me up!

Which of these games do you plan on playing?