Video Games - In Other Words 4 Quiz

Answer: Dead Space

"Dead Space", released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, was a survival-horror game with possibly the creepiest atmosphere ever seen in the world of video gaming. Pretty much the entire game takes place on a mining ship, the Ishimura. The main character uses the weapons and items at his disposal in order to make repairs to his crashed ship and fend off evil, parasitic aliens and the environment is beyond scary. Dark hallways, flickering lights, a perfectly-executed soundtrack, and periods of silence in outer space all add to the overall descent into the hellish expanse of space and ultimately, a nightmare.

The worst part about it- simply severing an enemy's head won't do the trick. Unless you sever all the appendages of an enemy alien, it'll keep swinging at you. On top of all of this, the protagonist is searching for his girlfriend, also on the ship, who keeps sending him cryptic messages. Due to the popularity of the game, a prequel was announced for the Wii and a tie-in CGI movie, "Dead Space: Downfall" was released as a companion piece.

The game was developed by EA Games, who, after gaining success and praise for stepping into the survival horror genre, greenlit "Dante's Inferno".

Answer: Counterstrike

Made by Valve (known for "Half-Life" and "Portal"), "Counterstrike" has gained notoriety from the various mods and maps created by players which can be used in the game. This alone has allowed the online PC game to stay quite strong over nearly a decade of gameplay. Originally developed as a mod for "Half-Life", "Counterstrike" was released in 2000 and two expanded additions, "Condition Zero" and "Source", were released in the years following.
The aim of the game is to navigate a first-person shooter environment and either defeat every opposing player in a free-for-all or team, or complete an objective.
Originally, the game was packaged with the first iteration of "Team Fortress", which later spawned a sequel in the "Orange Box" collection (released in 2007).

Answer: Goldeneye

Based on the James Bond film of the same name, "Goldeneye" was created and developed by Rare back before their acquisition by Microsoft. Released in 1997 solely on the Nintendo 64, the game was extremely well-received, earning Nintendo's Game of the Year Award for that year.
The film version of "Goldeneye" was Pierce Brosnan's first appearance as the 00 agent and all of the events in the film are chronicled throughout the duration of the game. In addition, the game's fun multiplayer option allowed players to choose from different weapon sets, characters from across the James Bond series, and basic stages in an overall free-for-all, capture the flag, or other styles.
Rare followed up this excellent shooter title with "Perfect Dark" for the Nintendo 64, making use of the "Goldeneye" game engine. Once more, the game was quite popular, and it was one of Rare's first games to continue onto the Xbox 360 (as the launch title "Perfect Dark Zero").

Answer: Star Ocean

"Star Ocean", originally released in Japan by Square Enix (for the SNES) soon developed into its own franchise after its popularity in the sci-fi RPG genre flourished. Proceeding games in the series were released on the Playstation 2, PSP, and Xbox 360.

The final title in the series, "The Last Hope", was released in early 2009 to critical acclaim considering the other Xbox 360 titles released by Square Enix at the same time ("The Last Remnant" and "Infinite Undiscovery"). Based around the destruction of Earth, the story of "The Last Hope" follows a group of people flying around the universe searching for new planets.

Although it was the last to be released and its title signifies "The Last" of its kind, the game acts as a prequel.

Answer: Cooking Mama

"Cooking Mama", made by Majesco for Nintendo consoles and handheld systems, is a cooking simulation game that takes into account real recipes and movements in order to cook full-fledged meals. The original version of the game, "Cooking Mama" for the DS, was met with critical appeal after winning 'Best of E3' in 2005. After its release, additional games for the DS and Wii (making use of the Wii Remote's motion technology) were sent out.
The game was also quite popular for its opposition to PETA who, in 2008, released a mock game called "Mama Kills Animals" on their website to conflict the meat-related dishes created by Mama in her games. Majesco (speaking as Mama) released a statement shortly thereafter to state that her recipes were for all cultures and walks of life and that many of her recipes do, in fact, contain no meat.
Due to the series' popularity, Majesco made "Gardening Mama" for the DS and released it in 2009.

Answer: Prince of Persia

"Prince of Persia" debuted in 1989 on the NES. As the series progressed, the games became increasingly popular, spawning the trilogy that included "Sands of Time", "Warrior Within", and "The Two Thrones". After the popularity of this series held true for its creators, Ubisoft, the game was given a revamp for the Xbox 360 when the aptly titled "Prince of Persia" (yes, quite descriptive) was released in late 2008.

Although the game was highly praised for its unique art style and control scheme, the game was criticized for being too short. Since its inception, the series has gained a large fanbase and has even spurred the development of a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal. On the contrary, a Nintendo DS version of the game, "The Fallen King" was not so well received after its 2008 release.

Answer: Trauma Center

"Trauma Center", another game originally on the Nintendo DS, ended up getting the Wii treatment after popularity on the handheld system. Using a stylus or Wii Remote, the player completes various intricate operations in this surgery-sim series. Beginning with the DS title "Under the Knife", the games move ahead into the future where advances in medical technology have rendered many different tools and applications completely, utterly useless (for example, an antibiotic 'skin' instantly heals wounds). Using the power of the time-slowing 'Healing Touch', the characters take on intense viral creatures that threaten existence through contagion and epidemic. Created by Atlus (known for the "Shin Megami Tensei" and the revival of the rare JRPG in Western markets), the series has gotten consistently good reviews across the board. Each game in the series updates with new tools and procedures, so the series tends to stay fresh.

Answer: Lost Planet

"Lost Planet: Extreme Condition" was originally created for the Xbox 360 and PC (by Capcom) in 2007, but due to its popularity, a port for the Playstation 3 was felt necessary. Based in the future, the game follows a group of soldiers who set out to find a new planet to colonize as Earth has become inhabitable.

When they arrive at the planet in the game, they discover that safety is an issue; the entire place is swarming with the Akrid, an alien race. The player character navigates in a third-person shooter environment covered in ice and snow. Due to the game's popularity, downloadable content was released in 2008 (known as "Colonies") on XBLA.

The game has been modestly well-received, spawning a film adaptation and proposed sequel. Many of Capcom's signature characters make an appearance in the game in some way, shape, or form (like Megaman).

Answer: Castle Crashers

Released on XBLA in 2008, "Castle Crashers", made by The Behemoth (known for their cult classic, "Alien Hominid"), quickly became a hit in the online/console gaming community. Winning 'Best XBLA Game' for 2008, "Castle Crashers" was praised by critics and became the console's top-selling online title of the year.
When four knights (or crashers) have their princesses kidnapped by evil sorcerers, they must make their way with haste across the varied landscapes in surrounding provinces, defeating enemies of unusual forms, and utilizing weapons, magic, and animal orb creatures to ensure that they get that kiss from each princess.
In 2009, The Behemoth released an expansion pack known simply as "The King Pack" to add new content to the game including new weapons and characters. Up to four people can play through the campaign.

Answer: World of Goo

"World of Goo", a multiple award winning independent game, soon rose to popularity after its initial release on the Wii's Virtual Console/WiiWare channel. Shortly after this, the game's sales pushed it into a PC release. The game first showed up on the channel in late 2008.
With a unique physics-based gameplay system, players could use the Wii Remote/mouse to move and place Goo balls and create structures to allow the World of Goo Corporation to collect its product. Eventually, when a new product called 'Product Z' comes into the picture, it's discovered that there may be more threats to the World of Goo than just an odd Corporation and dangerous obstacles.
The game was 2D-Boy's first game, and though the duo responsible were first-timers, their release was one of the most critically-renowned games on the Wii console in 2008.