Street Fighter Alpha Anthology

In 1995, Capcom was at a crossroads. Having already released a zillion Street Fighter II spin-offs, they were unsure where to go next. Ultimately they decided to go the prequel route with the Street Fighter Alpha series, known as Street Fighter Zero in Japan. With crisper animation, more complex gameplay, and more of a focus on story than most 2D fighting games, the Street Fighter Alpha series proved to be very popular. Capcom’s recent Street Fighter Alpha Anthology collects all three games from the franchise along with the addicting Super Gem Fighter MiniMix, proving itself to be an excellent retro compilation in the process. Read more

Suikoden V

Unlike many RPGs released since the PlayStation-era, Suikoden has always marched to the beat of its own drummer, defying many of the conventions solidified by the juggernaut Final Fantasy. While most role-playing games limit the player to a tiny pool of playable characters, a paltry three of which can be fielded at any one time, the heart of Suikoden games has always been gathering together the 108 Stars of Destiny. Not only are most of the Stars fully functional combatants, but you can even use six of them at once in battle! Another unusual aspect of these games is that they all take place in the same world, most of them within the span of a few decades, thus allowing for a great degree of crossover between characters, locations, and plot elements. With each successive entry in the series, rather than simply experiencing a number of disparate stories, fans have also seen bits and pieces of a greater narrative slowly come together. Read more

Teen Titans

It seems that the majority of TV and movie game tie-ins fail to deliver any spark of originality or even much of a passing nod to what makes the source material so interesting to fans in the first place. Unfortunately Teen Titans succumbs to the almost inevitable disappointing display gamers have come to expect, casting aside colorful characters and compelling story and throwing us in the mire of repetitive play and uninspired design. Read more

The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code is a bit of a worldwide phenomenon, isn’t it? Not only has it sold umpteen million copies in book form - presumably including that daft portion of society that refuses to regularly read - but now finds itself transferred into film form, staring Tom “Life’s like a box of chocolates” Hanks, and Audrey “What a gorgeous woman she is” Tautou. Read more

Titan Quest

If you, like me, haven’t found an action-RPG that compares to Diablo since… er, Diablo II, then I’ve got some good news for you: feel free to uninstall D2, because finally, a hack ‘n slash game has emerged to challenge the six-year reigning champion of mindless click-fests. A challenge, yes, and a victory over the champ. Read more

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