Reviews & Articles

There’s a reason in the game review community that the phrase “what can be said that hasn’t been said before” is both exceedingly accurate and cliché. Certain games reviewed are so popular that the same themes are reiterated in almost the same voice and phrases. So it brings up the point: Why review an over-reviewed game? Keep that in mind as we retread one of the most popular games of the last decade: Resident Evil 4.

Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil came along at the right time for the GameCube, but more importantly, at the right time for me. The survival horror genre had aroused my interest before, but I often found that graphical shortcomings led to storytelling and atmospheric concessions that undermined the experience for me. Such was not the case with Resident Evil. It was the first game that really made me afraid.

Twenty years ago, a little blue hedgehog gave a plumber a run for his money and changed my life entirely. That blue hedgehog’s name was Sonic. Of course, the route Sonic has taken to this day has definitely had some bumps and has been far from perfect after his Blast Processing days on Sega Genesis. But one game in his 3-D adventures really stood out and made a lasting impression on fans of Sonic the hedgehog and a ruler to what all-future Sonic games would be measured by: Sonic Adventure.

I remember the original Legend of Zelda back on the NES. There was something magical about it — and it had the potential to be exceptionally frustrating at times. To be fair, this was back in the day when games did not hold your hand at all. I also was only 3 or 4 years old at the time, and it amazed my mother no end how I was able to memorize the game and beat it. I probably should replay it, though the system does have a tendency to “randomly” reset on me. But I digress. This game created the beginning of one of Nintendo’s “holy of holies,” a series it would continuously hold close from that day forward and continuously counted on to sell not only copies, but systems as well. It is no wonder Nintendo tends to keep its “mega hitters” close to its breast. The last Zelda game released on a traditional system was released on the Wii and GameCube. That game is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. For a game that would be considered the GameCube’s last hurrah, it is more than competent to compete with other games.

\Upon first watching this beautifully accompanied introduction to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, I had chills. The dramatic, yet lovely music and the mysterious story being told were an outstanding combination to drag me into the game very early on. I was actually left wondering if the people in the story had been saved, or did they perish, all the while hoping for their savior? After delving further into the game, the story continued to not disappoint.

I admit it. I am getting up there in years as a gamer. My childhood was spent playing on those ancient-looking Nintendo, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. It was back in this day that games were *hard.* And very few of them were accessible to the average player. It took patience, time and skill to progress forward. One of the major companies back in those days was Capcom, a tour-de-force of old school-difficulty. The company also is one of the biggest offenders of selling the same game over and over again. In other words, Capcom prostituted its characters to make a profit. This is easily seen in the majority of the Resident Evil series, Mega Man series, Mega Man X series, Ghost ’n’ Goblins series, Street Fighter series, Devil May Cry series and so forth. Ironically, Capcom also is one of the best innovators in the game industry, which is best seen in the following games: Okami, Resident Evil 4, Onimusha and, of course, the original three Mega Man games. Now, gamers of all ages have the opportunity to see the best and worst of all eight Mega Man games in the Mega Man Anniversary Collection.

I have been playing games for what seems to some an eternity. I should not, or cannot, honestly say that I have seen everything that has been offered in video games. Yet, we live in a day and age in which the very things we like — movies, books, television shows and video games — are built on the ideas of yesteryear. There are times that I am greatly impressed beyond words due to unique presentation (play Ico and Beyond Good and Evil). And then there are some games that should work perfectly, but everything just falls apart for any number of reasons (see Unlimited Saga). So when I found a copy of Viewtiful Joe at my local Game Stop, I figured I would give it a whirl.

Resident Evil ... well, it's certainly part of the gaming landscape and has been since the 32-bit generation. I managed to avoid paying it much mind till Resident Evil 2 came out with all its hype and legion of rabid fanboys. Working at Best Buy at the time, I was able to acquire it on the cheap and so found it a lot easier to get sucked in along with everyone else. To say that I managed to put two hours into the game before dumping it used would likely be an overestimation.

In Harvest Moon: Magical Melody, you play the role of a farmer, either a boy or a girl. You come to a village on an "Exciting Ranch Plan." Theodore, the Mayor of FlowerBud Village, then greets you. You're then given a choice of 3 plots of land: one in the middle of town, one at a riverside, and one next to the ocean.

I remember playing the original Metroid back in the day. When Samus revealed that she was, in fact, a girl! Of course, it took a little imagination, but it made a lasting impression. She was one of the original female heroes in a gaming world dominated by testosterone.

First thing I have to say is that I really don't like writing a review like this. I know that a group of people somewhere worked hard to make this game, and so I don't like having to write a review that says “this game isn't fun”, but where Ant Bully is concerned, that is the only conclusion I can come to. And I come to it after spending hours just trying to get through the first mission. Yes, that really is how frustrating this game is. I've had the game for a long time now, and keep trying to get my kids to play it, and every time they rebel almost as much as they do when I ask them to do homework. After multiple hours spent trying to get through just the first mission, I can completely understand why, though I did finally prevail and start on the second mission, only to find myself wondering why I would be so cruel.

So it seems I naturally gravitate towards racing games. When I bought a GameCube from a buddy of mine I only bought three games from him (he must have had a dozen) and one of them was Need For Speed Most Wanted. I figured, heck I’m a NASCAR fan I’m bound to enjoy this. I’d be a liar if I said I was wrong.

I doubt I'll ever forget the day that I finally figured out the male obsession with cars. (Now ladies, don't get upset at me. I know some females can enjoy cars just as much as males do, but to say that females as a gender are obsessed with them would be like saying the male gender is obsessed with the latest in anti-aging cremes.) Stick with me for a moment here while I tell this cute little story. I promise that it really will related to the review of the video game Cars before I'm all done. And, heck, if it doesn't, Ophelea will edit all this out and make me rewrite and you'll never know it didn't anyway.

Are you a diehard fan of the MarioKart series? Well then I’ve got good news for you, Nintendo has released the next game in the MarioKart series! MarioKart Double Dash takes the madness of MarioKart and multiplies it by two. How so you ask? Well, each kart now contains not one Nintendo character, but TWO! Now MarioKart is twice as fun for everyone. Hey, that kinda rhymes!

Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events is a platforming-type adventure game with many secrets, extras, and puzzles. The game begins in your notorious Uncle Olaf's attic with a list of chores you must finish without interrupting Olaf's friends.. From there you have to traverse through many different types of areas, and cross many obstacles such as jumping from mushroom-top to mushroom-top, to walking on stilts through nuclear waste, with your three characters, Clause, Violet, and Sunny.

Why save the world, when you can rule it! That was the tagline that sold me on this portion of the Bond franchise from EA. Rogue Agent is an exploration of the darker sides of the bond world. You get to play for the other team in this. The opening stage takes place in Fort Knox, a memorable scene from Goldfinger. The opening sequence leads you into the game, and then smacks you hard in an attempt to start the ball rolling.

Over all, most games based off a movie license are either stunning examples of mediocrity or just plain bad. The exceptions are so few and far between that tend I ignore them all together. Then The Incredibles rolled around, and my editor told me she wanted me to do a write up on it. I loved the movie, so I agreed. I figured that if they can capture a third of what was in the movie, then it should be an awesome game. I think I gave THQ and Heavy Iron Studios, the makers of the game, a bit too much credit to be able to break the curse of the movie to video game translation.

This is the reason to buy a GameCube. Super Smash Bros. Melee (time to make a macro so I can type that faster) is quite possibly one of the most fun multiplayer party type games…ever.

I'll leave it at that so you can run out and buy it.

What? Don't own a GameCube?

I was the first kid in my admittedly small town to have the NES when it came out. It was revolutionary to be able to finally play those great arcade games at home, and Super Mario Brothers was the killer game for a new platform setting, the gold standard for platformers and a definitive classic. Since that time, Mario has evolved through countless titles, across every conceivable game type, some good, and some bad. Paper Mario - The Thousand Year Door extends the Mario RPG line with another entertaining, but different, experience that only Nintendo could create.

I've always wanted to be a mercenary. Fighting for fortune and adventure, righting injustice … who wouldn't want to be the leader of a heroic mercenary band? Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance has given me that opportunity.

Having two children, a six year old boy, and an eight year old girl, I was delighted to take a look at a family friendly game on the Game Cube. Chicken Little, the movie, was fun and light and worth the matinйe prices at the local theatre. However, after spending weeks with Chicken Little, the game, I find myself definitely not feeling that it was worth any amount of money for the frustration that it brings.

There are a variety of military style games on the market right now. Unlike many that go for strict realism, Battalion Wars goes for a cartoon-ish style that belies its attempts at realism. Unfortunately for the game, it comes off feeling like more of an attempt to make fun of the military than anything else. I'd high hopes for the game from the previews that I'd seen. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with it.

Ahhh, Pokemon. Those cute little things that can't speak beyond saying their own name in such a cute way. Each one of those 300+ little things - they're entirely too cute for their own good. But lo! They fight each other, too! Before you know it, one Pokemon is lying on the ground knocked out while the other has notched another victory in its belt.

You have a set of bongos. You put them on the floor or between your legs or whatever. A song starts to play. When you see one color, you hit the left drum. Another color, the right drum. A third color means both drums, and a final color means you clap.

Got it? Good. Now you know how Donkey Konga 2 plays.

You're probably asking yourself, "What? Why would I want to do that?"

Frankly, it's because it's stupid fun. It's stupid and fun. It's a flat out great party game.

Let's break it down, a bit - that is, if I can stop playing drums on my desk.

To call Geist a first person shooter would be a misnomer; it is one, but it's also something different. The best way to describe it, though, would be "fun." It's by no means a perfect game, but it's a nice change of pace. The basic premise is unusual, to say the least. You start off in what seems to be a fairly normal first person shooter. You bust into an evil corporation's building to rescue a contact. Fighting breaks out. Your team moves on and you're given a basic pistol. Quickly, several things come to light.

For a long time I've been clamoring for game developers to take risks with their games, to produce things that cannot be easily put into a particular genre, games that challenge their audience to take a deeper look at what's going on in front of them. I really should learn to be careful what I ask for. Because sometimes life will call you out and lay Killer 7 into your hands to review. And when I say "life", what I mean is my editor who gives me all the "weird games".

As will become a running theme in my review of children's titles (and a blessing to most parents), THQ's latest incarnation of Tak - Tak 3: The Great JuJu Challenge is now co-op! Hurray for those of us with more than one child or for children who want to play with their parents!

Usually, if you're an anime fan, you can simply look to Bandai for all of your anime game needs. Just about every series known to mankind has somehow fit under the wide umbrella of the company, and, well, One Piece: Grand Battle fits quite nicely under there with the rest of them. Moreover, One Piece shares a similarity with just about every other Bandai anime game created in the past couple of years: it's a fighting game

The Gamecube, although a very good system, and sometimes underrated in my opinion, has always been lacking in the realm of the role-playing game. The system has had one or two good ones but that has been it. Although I can get my RPG fix on another system, for those with only the 'Cube this has been a great disappointment. Namco decided to give a few to the system, and Tales is a really good place to get started.

The intro immediately launches the player into the heart of the situation. The stage is set for the conflict between the Alphas, Dom'z and Hillyans. The camera frames a majestic outer space view, as Dom'z meteorites filled with their xenomorphic militants rain down on the peaceful mining planet, Hillys. Then, the camera sweeps down past lushly rendered trees and sky to the protagonist, Jade, and one of her young orphan wards performing their morning meditations.