Before Halo 2 came along, this was the biggest game on Xbox live, and it’s still one of the favorites of many Xbox live gamers.  It’s a flight simulator, but it’s so easy to pick up and play.  The single player campaign isn’t bad either, taking you through an alternate reality 1920s.  Really, it’s there to give you a taste of the different planes, and there isn’t much of a reason to go back after you beat it once.  THere is also plenty of downloadable content for use in multiplayer.  Hopefully Microsoft will bless up with a sequel.

Forget for a minute about the reasons why the US sent it’s troops to a foreign country, and think about what happens when they get there.  Full Spectrum Warrior does this exactly.  Created as a training simulator for the US army, this game allows players to direct two squads of military soldiers in combat.  You’ll learn how to flank, supress, and outwit the enemy, and keeping your men alive is a crucial part of the game.  It has two downloadable levels via Xbox live, and the actual US army version, with even more complicated tatics is hidden on this disc as a secret code.  A sequel is due out later this spring, so check this one out and get your practice.

Yeah, I know I’m late, but I’m dealing with a crippling bout of Pharynghitis, (in other words, I’m under the weather) so don’t sue me. Anyway, Gamecube owners craving some serious M-rated action have very few venues to turn to, (including rare’s Eternal Darkness and Midway’s Mortal Kombat Deception) and even fewer that are exclusive to the system. THis is also on PS2, but it once began life as a member of the ‘Capcom 5’, 5 gamecube games from Capcom that would hopefully breathe life into the system. SInce the announcement, the first game flopped miserably, the second did quite well, even spawning a sequel and a few spinoffs…also ported to PS2, the third was cancelled altogether, and the fourth was one of 2005’s top games, if not the top game of 2005 (and was also ported to PS2). This is the fifth, and not only does it succeed at being one of the more grown up games available for the system, it’s also one of the most outright weirdest games available, from it’s unconventional control scheme, to it’s oddball plot, involving a man with an afro, an elementary school, a child organ harvester, a power rangers-esqe superhero team, and crazy, even if somewhat predictable plot twist. Although there is little replay value, the zany plot alone makes it’s worth the $20 dollars. For kicks, there is an excellent plot analysis available on gamefaqs.com.

In 2001, the last thing anyone would even think of is Squaresoft collaborating with Disney. A year later however, Square would shatter all of our expectations. This action RPG teams up Disney’s superstars such as Aladdin and Ariel with Final fantasy heroes such as Squall and Cloud in a cross company extravaganza rivaled only by the Marvel vs Capcom games. Playing as a young boy names Sora, you meet Donald, Goofy, and tons of other famous Disney characters in your quest to save your friends from a strange group of creatures called the Heartless. Your journey will take you to worlds based on several different Disney films, such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Alice in Wonderland. The attacks and magic are easy to use, and the Final Fantasy-style summon attacks cleverly make use of Disney characters such as Simba, Dumbo, and Mushu. This game is a hit for RPG fans of all ages, regardless of weather or not you’re a fan of Disney movies. A sequel is due any day now, and it will feature even more Final Fantasy and Disney mash-ups. Also a sequel is out on the Gameboy advance as well. If you haven’t picked this up by now, you need to go do it.

I was busy all weekend and neglected to post the 20 dollat GOTW, and I’m just know figuring this new system out, so here we are.

After the original Devil may cry redefined action in 2001, capcom followed it up with a rather lackluster sequel in Devil may cry 2. In early 2005 however, the series returned to it’s roots in a major way with Devil May Cry 3, even being a prequel to the original game. Howevber, it ended up being overshadowed by several other titles that year, not the least of which being Capcom’s own Resident Evil 4. Thanks to SOny’s greatest hit’s banner, Capcom has given gamers another chance to check out one of the more slept-on games of 2005.As is the case with many greatest hits games as of late, this version adds in new special features not in the original, such as th eability to play as Vergil. Best of all, if you already have a save file from the original DMC 3, these features are unlocked automaticaly.

Arc the lad was one of the first games released for the original Playstation in Japan. However, it wouldn’t be until late in the system’s life cycle that it would come over here, thanks to the now defunct Working Designs in the form of a 6 CD pack chock full of extras in the usual Working Designs style. It contained the series’s three entries, which gave players the entire saga of the struggle against Darkness. The thing I liked best was that each sequel took place only a short period of time after the previous entry vs the “thousands of years after the big battle” cop out of %95 of most other RPG franchises. Upon reading that SCEA of Japan was planning a PS2 sequel, I was somewhat skeptical, especially after Arc 3’s grand finale (Which in itself wasn’t even suppose to be released). This game takes place thousands of years after Arc 3, (but this time is understandable, seeing as how it would be impossible to follow up on the events of Arc 3) and it tells the storyline of the war between two races; Human and Deimos, and an evil empire which seeks to subjugate them both. In the middle of all this are two heroes, Kharg and Darc, both twins being born to a Human mother and Deimos father, but were separated at birth. You will alternate between both, and see the storyline from both viewpoints, and makes you feel sympathetic towards both causes. When the two brothers finally do meet, it’s a lead-in to some very big plot twists. Although the combat engine has some flaws (having to buy spirit stones to cast spells), the new free walking is a welcome treat versus the grid based strategy battles of not only Arc the lad, but most other Strategy RPGs. It may not be Final Fantasy of Kingdom Hearts, but this is worth checking out especially if you’re a fan of the series.

I like star wars, but some people can name every alien in the cantina scene, piss and moan over the extra minutes in the special editions, and argue to this day over weather Han or Greedo shot first, and that’s just scary. I’m not big on PC style RPGs, but this game is impressive. From the story line (which evolves as you become good or evil) to the cast of characters, this game is probably one of the better Star Wars tie ins. If George Lucas got the people at Bioware to write the script for Episodes 1 – 3, then they would have turned out much better than they did. My only complaint is the Real time – turn based hybrid battle system. It’s kinda retarded looking at them swipe each other and hoping that the enemie’s HP falls down in time. It would have been so much more cooler to actually control the jedi powers yourself.

This is an enhanced version of the third installment of the Elder Scrolls series, complete with all the content from Bloodmoon and Tribunal, the two expansion packs. I wasn’t even into PC style RPGS until this came along. Imagine the free roaming gameplay of Grand theft auto taken to a whole new level, in which you could go anywhere and do anything you wanted. THe whole world is open to you and you do not have to be confined by the main plot. Wanna rise to the top of a guild? Practice magic? Hunt for treasure in ancient tombs? WHatever you can think of it’s here. Only few issues with it are the combat, and the fact that besides teleporting, there is no alternative to walking across th eland. However, both of these issues will be corrected in the upcomming xbox 360 sequel, Oblivion.