God Of War: Chains Of Olympus

I have to admit, my PSP was gathering a lot of dust on my desk. Mainly because I usually play it only when I’m traveling. So when the opportunity for me to travel on business came up, I thought it was a good time to update my library, and it just so happened that God of War: Chains of Olympus was released around the same time. Read more

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LEGO Indiana Jones

One of the first toys I became obsessed with as a child were LEGOs. I used to have a metric ton of them. I had the first generation Space LEGOs, the Medieval Castle LEGOs, and the Technics LEGOs. I used to save every penny of my allowance so I could get the next set. I finally, unwillingly, gave my Lego collection to my nieces and nephews. Even today, I find myself checking out the new sets. Read more

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Wii Fit

“That’s obese!” the voice happily chirps. The voice, belonging to an anthropomorphized bathroom scale, is my nemesis. It is Wii Fit, and every day it tells me I am overweight (or, after a night drinking too many margaritas, obese). Read more

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy

If you love spy thrillers, chances are you’ve probably heard of Robert Ludlum’s Bourne novels, made popular with the Hollywood adaptations starring Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. The well choreographed and brutal hand-to-hand combat portrayed was the hallmark of the films, and game publisher Sierra and developer High Moon Studios have done a excellent job capturing that adrenaline-filled action, almost to the point where you feel like you’re recreating scenes from the movie. Read more

Mischief Makers

In 1997, video games began to see graphical advancements like never before. Everywhere you looked, home consoles were setting new standards for game play. Rendering polygons and 3D graphics was all the rage, with every company trying to “1UP” each other with the most realistic-looking graphics - while we all suffered from motion sickness! Read more

Grand Theft Auto IV

I really wanted to hate Grand Theft Auto IV.

I had decided not to buy it early in its hype-cycle. “Fool me twice, shame on me” was my attitude. I had bought Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City because of the glowing reviews from just about everyone, but I found them tiresome, sophomoric, morally bankrupt and — worst of all — not much fun to play. I fully expected GTA IV to be more of the same. When our Editor-in-Chief informed me he was sending it my way, I prepared for the worst.

The worst didn’t happen. I don’t hate this game, even though it has things about it — many things — that are hateful. It is, in some ways, like two separate games sandwiched onto a single disc. One of those games is the sophomoric, hard to control, ponderous and boring festival of reloaded missions that I remembered from previous editions. But the other game is a brilliantly scripted, lovingly realized analysis of the American dream in general, and New York City in particular.

The writing, dialogue, and acting in this game are beyond superb. That in itself makes the game impossible to hate. That the writers so effectively persuade players to sympathize with the characters, including the player’s sociopathic Eastern European avatar, speaks volumes. And the most important character, of course, is New York City itself. No one who has spent any time in Brooklyn, Queens, or Manhattan can fail to be stunned at how effectively Rockstar has distilled these boroughs to their essences: making them navigable in reasonable game time, while still preserving their character.

Little, it should be noted, has changed about the core gameplay, and when you drift away from the script, the game deadens and ossifies. The sensitivity and subtle humor of the spoken-word aspects of the game only serve to widen the chasm between the script’s high quality and the visual game’s penis-joke mentality. Apart from the missions, there is precious little to do in Liberty City if you aren’t interested in mayhem or exploitation.

The save system, as in previous games, is ponderous. A mistake late in a mission can force you to replay it from the beginning, including the pointless and boring drive from your house to where the action is. It’s as if the game is begging you to stop playing it and find something more fun to do, such as playing Mario Kart.

GTA IV is a seriously flawed game with a split-personality. The sandbox portion of the game presents a false choice between being bored or engaging in brutality. The game’s setting and screenwriting, however, contain moments of great insight and beauty. If you can accept the moral ambiguity of choosing to play a game that presents murder as inevitable and acceptable, then you will find parts of GTA IV to be entrancing.

I don’t hate GTA IV. But I still don’t want anyone to watch me play it.

On the Rain-Slick Precepice of Darkness

If you’re a fan of Penny Arcade (and who isn’t?) you’ll buy this game no matter what I say about it, so I’ll keep this short and to the point: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is $20 well-spent. It plays as a sort of mixture between the Telltale adventure games and a less pretentious Final Fantasy game with characters that aren’t big-haired, androgynous, and pouty. The user interface can be a bit hit-or-miss but the game makes up for it by being extremely forgiving.

The plot opens with the protagonist’s house being destroyed by a gigantic robot whose purpose in life is to sexually molest fruit. You give chase, and soon encounter a large number of smaller robots (keep some oranges handy to distract them!), mimes, hobos, and other assorted enemies. You’ll also become an associate of the alter-egos of the creators of Penny Arcade, Tycho and Gabe. With some assistance from Tycho’s girl-genius niece, Anne-Claire, you’ll upgrade your weapons, find clues, and uncover new areas in which to go forth and issue beatings.

It’s a short game, but in this case I think that’s a vice, and not a virtue. The writing, riddled with in-jokes, is merely serviceable, but the art direction and animation are superb. At its best, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness comes close to giving you the feeling of being in a Penny Arcade comic strip. God help us all.

Mario Kart Wii

Nintendo’s latest and greatest title for the Wii, Mario Kart, was released on April 27. Across the globe, the buzz about how wonderful this game is supposed be gave me the impression that its massive white box would hold untold wonders of gaming joy. With talk of new items, tracks, karts, motorcycles, and even worldwide multi-player online play, I became genuinely “pumped” for the release of this title. Shortly after purchasing the game I began to call all my friends to come over for split-screen battles that would be waged throughout the night. After picking up several boxes of pizza and a nearly endless supply of caffeine-injected products, midnight rolled around and it was time to race.

After popping countless balloons in battle mode, we decided to unlock the rest of the available tracks through the single player mode. By then we had gotten a good feel of the new items and vehicles, and most importantly, the Wii wheel. So we zoomed through all of the Grand prix races and then it was back to battling each other. When we each had found the type of kart or motorcycle we liked best on our favorite Nintendo characters, we battled the night away just like we did when Mario Kart for the SNES was the newest thing.

Like most of the games Nintendo has released for the Wii, Mario Kart is an excellent party game with a oddly high re-playability rate. It is a great game for families and friends to enjoy together. The Wii Wheel works very smoothly, as long as you don’t over-exaggerate your turning. Mario Kart also works with the Wiimote only, or the Wiimote and nunchuk (the classic controller) and the Nintendo Gamecube controller - and all work quite well. It really depends on what’s comfortable for you. This makes it easy to include all your friends without having to break the bank buying lots of new controllers.

Around noon the next day, when everybody had gone home, I decided to check out the online play. After skimming through the farce that is the user-agreement, I pressed ‘Accept’ and quickly jumped into a race with nine other people from across the US. Sad to say, I was the only one from Oklahoma. The big head I had from owning my friends at the kart party quickly deflated, because then I began to learn what the word “owned” really meant. Anyway, online was still a lot of fun. I never had any lagging problems, and I never got disconnected. Everything ran as smoothly as if I was playing with these people in my home, whether I was winning or not.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been playing this game like it was stuck on self-destruct mode. Mario Kart continues its tradition of being a fun and re-playable party game. Adding the online multi-player exponentially increases the chance of me picking up the Wii Wheel again and again. Nintendo has delivered another impressive title for its revolutionary system.

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core

Dear Square Enix, the love of my gaming life.

It’s been some time since I’ve professed my love for you in writing, and I sincerely hope you’ve not forgotten the steamy nights we spent together in the summer of ‘94. I’ll never forget how you taught me to love by the dim illumination of the Sony flat-screen.

The last few weeks we’ve spent together have been bitter-sweet. Until you showed me the ways you’ve changed, I assumed our relationship was still bound by decade-old routine. I dreaded the turn-based dance, swaying between partners in order as the evening waned. But you expect more of me now, and your expectation compelled me to shed my old ways and strive to master the art of single-man combat. Gone are the days of turns, as you’ve gifted me the ability to play in real-time as I battle those who live to kill me. I revel in this new freedom.

Even in your change, you still remind me of where we have been. With magic and materia you comfort me, and I am warmed. With your words you guide me, and your lengthy cut-scenes send chills down my spine. Your camera blesses me, and I am thankful. I know that I’ve strayed in the past, flirting with other code when twilight fades. But you have shown me the light, and I swear to be faithful forever more.

I eagerly await your return.

The World Ends With You

The long-awaited North American release of the heralded (yet largely unappreciated by Japanese gamers) Subarashiki Kono Sekai has brought a new revolution to handheld RPGs, proving that Square Enix is, despite its continued milking of the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts franchises, still capable of original content.

Players take the role of Neku, a young cynic who finds himself in Shibuya’s famous scramble crossing with no recollection of how he ended up there or why. Neku discovers that he’s now part of the Death Game, and over the course of seven days must fight the “Noise” (various creatures that take the form of animals) to survive and complete daily missions. As the story progresses Neku learns more about himself, his allies, and the finer points of human interaction, in-between shopping for clothing, killing poisonous frogs and kangaroos, and reading the thoughts of passers-by.

In combat, Neku’s “deck” consists of 300 collectable pins with unique attack skills such as flame-throwing, bullets, and melee strikes. Attacks are executed by using the stylus in a variety of ways such as slashes and taps, some even integrating the microphone. As the game progresses, pins level up and grow more powerful as they’re utilized. While Neku’s action takes place on the bottom screen, the top screen features one of several allies who also fight the Noise. Allies are controlled via the D-Pad (or the face buttons for you southpaws) in a unique pattern combo system, with combos performed by either character giving bonuses to his or her partner on the opposite screen. For those who would find it hard to manage both screens at once, an auto-assist option is available to help players get adjusted and can easily be overridden by the player.

Designer Tetsuya Nomura (known for his work in the recent Final Fantasy games and the Kingdom Hearts series) has given the game a hip, urban feel, to match the setting of Tokyo’s current hotspot for teens, urban culture aficionados, and bleeding-edge fashionistas. The character designs are both comforting to S-E fans and at the same time a refreshing departure from the fantasy-based settings of its other series; featuring the sort of outfits that, while certainly outlandish by American standards, are a common sight in districts such as Shibuya and Harajuku. The game’s music also matches the mood - essential in a modern setting when the wrong tunes can quickly remove the player from the experience.

World takes steps to revolutionize how players gain XP with a “Mingle” mode in which XP is awarded when the player’s DS comes into WiFi contact with another DS, no matter what cart is in that system, ensuring that World will be slotted at anime conventions, LAN parties, and events like PAX for months to come. This and other in-game innovations are proof that if you’re looking for a change of pace in both the RPG genre and how you use your DS to play games, The World Ends With You is a must-buy.

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