Half Minute Hero gives players something new and different, and the frantic 30 second action (along with the Time Goddess’s one liners) while have you grinning from ear to ear. It’s also an awesome parody of the 8-bit era, and it’s a must have for PSP owners. It’s too bad that it didn’t do the numbers they should have, but now that it’s at the $20 price range, it shouldn’t have much trouble finding it’s way into a few more PSP units.

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Thanks to Beaterator, you don’t need thousands of dollars with of studio equipment to make hits. All you need is a PSP, a copy of the game, a memory stick, and some patience, and you can become the next DJ Primer or Manny Fresh.

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All of your favorites return, from Taki and Sophitia to Cervantes and Ivy. The new characters Ivy and Algol join the cast. In addition, there are bonus characters who are designed by manga artists. Although they share movesets with returning characters, they have their own unique looks, so they are similar to the bonus characters from SC3. Also, there is a crossover with the Star Wars universe of sorts, as Yoda is playable in the xbox 360 version (and can be purchased on the PSN for $5) and Darth Vader is playable in the PS3 version (and can be purchased on the Xbox Live Marketplace for $5). The Apprentice, who is the main character in the game “The Force Unleashed” also joins the cast on both systems. These characters have Force maneuvers that use a special ‘force meter’ to activate. Although they are somewhat unbalanced, it’s cool to have them in the game. Of course, you can also create your own character as well. The create-a-character mode has been revamped, and there are more options for tweaking your custom fighter. The graphics have been tweaked as well. There is a huge amount of detail in both the characters and the backgrounds. Even if a few of the backgrounds have been recycled from past SoulCalibur games, it’s nice to see the additional graphical tweaks that take advantage of the new hardware.

The gameplay is roughly the same, although some new tricks have been added. Characters can equip armor that enhances their abilities and grants them additional powers. A character’s armor can be destroyed, and they lose the benefits that that piece of armor provided. The Soul Gauge has been added. As you guard and make hits, it changes color. Once your opponent’s gauge is flashing red and a piece of their armor has been destroyed, your character can perform a critical finish, which is a finishing move unique to each character. Online play has been added for the first time in the series, and you can even take created characters online. It is laggy at times, so you’ll have to seek out opponents with good connections. You can also download new content on the Xbox Live Marketplace or the Playstation Network Store.

My main disappointment lies in the single player modes. The thing I liked most about the Soul series is that their single player story modes have gone above and beyond the usual “beat up everybody until you get to the boss then beat him up too” scenarios from other fighting games. They have contained story-driven modes complete with branching paths, unlockables, and details that shed light on the story and its characters. Heck, SCIII even had an RTS minigame! However, in SCIV, the story mode is as bare bones as it gets. When I pick a character, I get a screen showing their storyline. Then I go through 5 stages, including the boss. Sometimes I have to fight more than one opponent, other times I tag team with someone, and it is never explained why. Finally I get to the final boss, either Algol or Nightmare. At least I still get to see a good ending. There is also a mode called the “Tower of Souls”, where players can take part in several single player challenges. This mode is somewhat better, due to the variety. Thankfully, like in past SC games, there are lots of items to unlock. Achievement hunters will find lots have fun finding achievements in this game as well, as their nature is so random, and you’ll get gamerpoints for seemingly random activities. It almost feels like Dead Rising, where you’d be playing the game, then suddenly the achievement bubble pops up, and you’d scramble to press the big Xbox button to see what you just did to get your gamerpoints.

Now maybe I can let the bare bones single player mode pass if I consider that the development team used their time and resources on the online play and graphics. In fact, this is perhaps the first time I’ve seen a fighting game where I can create characters that look just as good as the guys who are packed in without the main characters having to lose out on graphical detail, so this is definitely a plus. Like its predecessors, SCIV is an awesome fighting game. It won’t overwhelm series newbies, and veterans will feel right at home. Now listen up Namco: for the next installment, I demand a deeper story mode, all new backdrops and music, and more play modes. The series has had all of these things since Soul Edge on Playstation 1, so I know it’s possible.

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Other than that, the gameplay will feel right at home for veterans of RON. The campaign makes use of a map similar the RON’s conquer the world campaign, and you’ll spend lots of time in battle researching and upgrading your tech tree. While Rise of Legends doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it is still an excellent RTS game, and it does a good job of following up Rise of Nations, even if its scope is scaled down in comparison.

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There is no shortage of wrestling titles that allow players to step inside the ring, but how many allow them
to step behind the curtain or even into the front office? No I’m not talking about Smackdown vs Raw’s General Manager mode. I mean taking the role of the Vince McMahons,the Eric Bischoffs, the Bill Watts, the Vince Russos, or the Paul Heymans and deciding who gets the push, who gets buried, making deals, securing talent, negotiating contracts, and everything else that the head booker does. Well, Adam Ryland’s Extreme Warfare series has been letting players do just that. It’s been around since 1995, and in 2004 it changed its name to Total Extreme Wrestling and made use of a windows interface. Although 2010 is going to be released soon (if it hasn’t been already), 2005 is available for free at the site at www.greydogsoftware.com.

Like its predecessors and sequels, TEW 2005 is entirely menu-driven. That means you won’t be seeing any matches, controlling any wrestlers, or participating in any wrestling action. What you will be doing is selecting one of several promotions, and do what you can to take it to the top. You’ll set merchandising, book angles, set matches, decide who wins, and even set the length of the segments of your television product. You’ll also have to deal with wrestlers and their egos, and like the stuff you see on tv, you’ll also have to deal with backstage drama. The menu interface is sometimes hard to work with (especially when trying to book angles) and the game could benefit from some kind of tutorial mode, but once you get the hang of everything, you’ll easily get sucked in. You’ll be booking PPV cards, promoting matches, and negotiating with talent just like a real promoter.

If you’re what they consider to be a ’smark’ (wrestling lingo for smart fan) or wrestling insider, TEW is the perfect package for you. Wrestling fans will get a kick out of taking control of what goes on behind the scenes…. as long as they realize and are willing to come to terms with the fact that pro-wrestling is scripted.

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For those of you who don’t know the story, on April 20th of 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two troubled teens who had apparently been bullied during their years in high school went on a violent shooting spree, killing over a dozen students and teachers. The media, parents/teacher groups, clergymen, and opportunistic politicians, unable to fathom that two white boys from a wealthy suburban community bought about something that apparently is only supposed to happen in the ghetto or a backwoods rural area (and with rumors of a so-called ‘trenchcoat mafia’ shut down), immediately set about finding things to blame the tragedy on. “It was because of easy access to guns!” “It was because gun control laws are too strict!” “It was Marylin Manson!” “It was violent video games!” “It was Doom!” “It was because of the evil liberals taking prayer out of schools!” “Where were the parents at?” “Why didn’t anyone see the warning signs?” With all the fuss in a search for a scapegoat, few even considered to take a look at the events in their lives that might have led up to the shooting. Enter independent developer Danny Ledonne. Using the program RPG Maker 2000, he created a game which places characters in the role of the shooters. By researching thousands of pages of news articles about the massacre, home videos the two killers made, and video news reports, Ledonne’s product gives an insight and paints a picture suggesting why such a tragedy occurred.

Super Columbine Massacre RPG takes place in 3 parts. In the first part, the two sneak past teachers and students to place bombs in the cafeteria. In the second part, the two gunmen enter the school and attempt to kill as many students as they can (although how many they actually kill is up to you) before ending it all in the cafeteria. The third part sees the boys in hell fighting demons and creatures from Doom before meeting Satan. Throughout the game, you’ll discover flashbacks from the boys’ past. The dialogue in these events was lifted from home videos and writings, and they portray the events as the creator imagined them. It’s these flashbacks which give the most insight into Eric and Dylan’s mindstate and hold clues as to why Columbine happened. The game falters a bit in it’s third part, which may seem a bit absurd, especially compared to the events of the first two parts.

Super Columbine Massacre is one of the most difficult games you’ll ever play. Not because of level design, technical issues, enemy AI, or gameplay mechanics. It’s difficult because it places you in the role of the perpetrator of one of the worst events of last decade. It’s like watching a horror movie like Saw or Hostel in the way that the only way to skip the gruesome parts is to simply not play the game. Obviously this game isn’t for everyone, and for many, it tends to re-open wounds from that tragic day almost 11 years ago. However, this game may be the few pieces of media to give us any real insight as to why events such as this happen. Chuck D referred to hip-hop music as ‘The Black People’s CNN’. Well, video gaming has the potential to become the geek’s CNN, especially with more games such as Super Columbine Massacre.

Note: If you want to download this game, then you’ll have to search online sharing networks as the author no longer hosts the game on his sight due to the stress on his server.

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$20 Game of the Week: Syphon Filter – Logan’s Shadow
Logan’s Shadow is the follow up to 2006’s Dark Mirror, the game that reintroduced the Syphon Filter franchise to gamers and also one of the PSP’s must-have titles. Logan’s Shadow continues the espionage fun with an all new plotline. Once again stepping into the role of agent Gabe Logan, players have to once again unravel a conspiracy. This time however, longtime partner Lian Xing has been suspected of being a traitor and is missing in action, while Gabe Logan’s agency has been disbanded by a corrupt U.S. senator, so the stakes are higher than ever before. If you played Dark Mirror, then Logan’s Shadow will be easy to get into. In fact, the tutorial missions are the same as in Dark Mirror, with the exception of an added tutorial for underwater combat. The only major gameplay change is that the medkit system has been dropped in favor of a Halo-style auto-refilling health bar. You can now chose weather to have the L button use a free-aiming mechanic or the series’ trademark lock-on system. Just like Dark Mirror, Logan’s Shadow features a ton of unlockables, including weapons and missions.

Like it’s predecessor, Logan’s Shadow should be in the library of every PSP owner, and fans of the series will find another round of the action that the series is known for, although the ending leaves the future of the series up in the air. I won’t spoil it for you, you’ll just have to play the game.

Lost Classics: Super Castlevania 4 (SNES, Wii Virtual Console)

Okay, so this game really doesn’t really fit the criteria for a proper Lost Classic. With today being a holiday and this being perhaps one of the games of all time however, I hope all you Poweteers will let me slide.

In my personal humble opinion, SCIV is the best Castlevania game in the series. Yes, there are better games in the series than SCIV, and there are games in the series that I have enjoyed more than SCIV, but no other game in the series has left the impression on me that SCIV did.

In the early days of the SNES, the games that were released for it were basically 16-bit sequels/upgrades of classic 8-bit games. Super Mario World improved upon the overworld design of Super Mario Brothers 3 while adding battery backup. Final Fantasy II (or IV as it was known as in Japan) took the basic gameplay of FF1 (and the Japan only 2 and 3) and added in Mode 7 graphics and orchestra sound. So it was with Super Castlevania IV, which in terms of the series’ chronology, had the same storyline as the original Castlevania: Simon Belmont set out to defeat Dracula, who was risen from the dead once again. Only this time, the game didn’t start right at the entrance. That wasn’t until level 6. While the game started out with the familiar whip-cracking-outside-the-gate sequence, you had to travel through the stables, the marsh, a cave, and more before you even got to the front door. With a front yard like that, you wouldn’t even need ADT security. It would be so much trouble getting to the front door that any would-be burglar would simply give up. Simon thankfully had a new trick up his sleeve to take on the danger: an 8-way directional whip, possibly inspired by Contra. This trick helped a long way towards alleviating some of the frustrations which were common in platform gaming, such as enemies overhead and small flying objects which cause pitfalls. By holding down the Y button, Simon can even dangle the whip, providing a shield of sorts against smaller enemies and projectiles.

It being a SNES game, the first thing gamers noticed was the improved visuals, particularly Simon Belmont’s sprite. it was huge and well detailed. There were also parallel backgrounds, and the first level of the game in particular took advantage of the new technology. You traversed inside and outside of a gate to make your way through part of the level. Then there was the second stage and its swamp, where after you beat the level’s boss, the level still didn’t end, as you went down a sludge covered ramp. One of my favorite moments in the game takes place in level four. You traverse your way through a tower with rotating platforms, and midway through the level you fight a giant ghost skull. After destroying the skull, you then move on to the level’s second half, which started with a room full of spikes which rotated as you had to hang on for dear life then swing across to avoid getting impaled. Next, you’re in the inside of a rotating barrel full of enemies which come out the background to attack you. The last part of the level took place in a hall which put a whole new spin on the ‘moving blocks’ segment of the platforming genre. At the end, you faced yet another boss: a rock monster which grew LARGER as you damaged him. The next level was a bit of a rest of sorts, as you went up a stairway towards Dracula’s castle. When you finally entered Drac’s castle in level 6, it was a brand-new experience entirely. While level 6 started off with the old-school Castlevania zombie entrance way and underground water lagoon, things soon got hectic as you jumped across chandeliers, battled ghost dancers, and took on possessed suits of armor. The final level was another awesome moment which really put gamers’ fingers to the test, as they outran a giant wheel, descended a tower, and took on THREE SEPARATE BOSSES before meeting Dracula himself. SCIV’s levels were chock full of cool stuff, and the graphics and sound capabilities of the Super Nintendo made everything even more surrealistic.

The music was another huge part of the SCIV experience. While this was right before CD gaming became the norm, the SNES sound processors could give more advance sound systems a run for their money, and SCIV demonstrated this. The game’s first level featured a tune that would go on to become a classic Castlevania anthem, and you’d even hum along to it like you did songs like Vampire Killer and Bloody Tears. The second level’s BGM featured slapping congo drums and an ominous but upbeat melody which went perfectly with the marsh setting. The first part of level three featured a hauntingly beautiful harp-plucking/flute melody which gave way to a strong piano loop when you reached the waterfall in the second part. The final part of the level featured a weird smooth-jazz sounding number which sounded surreal with the area’s Sunken-Atlantis backdrop. The second part of level 4 was an awesome melody which started out almost like a modern R&B piece, but transferred into a more traditional Castlevania-style tune, although it got increasingly frantic as it went on. The R&B ends abruptly with some organs, then the horns and drums come in, and they get louder and more frantic, which was perfect, because the level itself became crazier and frantic towards the end. Level 7’s library featured a quieter string/wood piece, which helped players catch their breaths a bit after level 6’s insanity. It also helped get them ready for 8, which had some foreboding piano keys accentuated with some even more sinister sounding African drums. This was especially perfect, as the level took place in a prison full of traps. The game’s final levels featured remixes of some classic Castlevania tunes as well.

It has been almost 20 years since that Christmas morning that I got my SNES and played SCIV for the first time. However, it still remains one of my favorite games to this day. It demonstrated how an action game should be done, and it was an excellent showcase of the SNES’s capabilities. It was also one of the first games I downloaded to my Wii Virtual Console, and playing it with my Gamecube controller gives me so many flashbacks. No other game in the series has as many water-cooler moments as SCIV, not even Symphony of the Night’s upside-down castle, Dracula X’s burning village, or even Portrait of Ruin’s tag team final boss battle against Dracula and Death. If you haven’t played it yet, you owe it to yourself to do so as soon as you can. It’s an excellent entry in an excellent gaming franchise.

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$20 Game of the Week: Dead Space
EA creating an original IP? A sure sign of the apocalypse, but I digress. This might be after Christmas, but Dead Space may be a game more suited for Halloween if you think about it, as it represents the next generation of traditional survival horror. You know, that pants-turning-yellow sensation you got the first time you played Resident Evil (rather than Condemned’s psychological horror), except this time it takes place in space. What better setting for it, because if we learned anything from the Alien movies, it’s that in space, no one can hear from you scream.

Players step in the role of Issac, an engineer bought aboard the Ishimura, a large mining spaceship. A horrible disaster has taken place aboard the ship, and most of the crew is dead. A horrific infection has overtaken the vessel, and there are monsters on the ship which have been made from the remains of the dead. It’s not enough to simply shoot them, you have to kill them by dismembering them limb by limb. Although Issac doesn’t have much in the way of offensive capabilities (he is an engineer after all) he can purchase new weapons and upgrade them using the ship’s shop terminals. He can also use stasis to slow down time in certain areas to solve puzzles, and can use a Kinesis ability to pull in and repel objects. By finding various logs and documents scattered around the ship, you can learn more about what has happened to the crew.

For those of you who believe that Resident Evil is no longer scary or that the Silent Hill franchise has lost its luster, Dead Space is the perfect survival horror game for you. It’s atmosphere, bizarre monsters, and gripping narrative will leave you sleeping with the night light on for months after you finish it. EA has vested a lot into this franchise too if you haven’t noticed. There is an animated movie available on DVD, a Wii-exclusive prequel that’s a rail gun shooter, a comic book series, and a sequel has just been announced, so right now is an excellent time to check it out.

Lost Classics: Tropico Reloaded(PC)
I didn’t even know this series existed until I read a review of the third game which was released this past fall (while at the same time also learning that the game would be coming to Xbox 360 as well). The first two games in this series are available in the Tropico Reloaded 2-pack, so I decided to purchase it and check them out. The best way to describe Tropico would be ‘Sim-Castro’. Players take control of the island Tropico in the 1950s, and are tasked with transforming the island into a nation, keeping the citizens happy, and most importantly, staying in power. You’ll control various types of industry, from logging, to mining, to farming, even tourism. You’ll decide how much to pay workers, how much funding your schools and hospitals get, what policies and edicts to pass, and when (or if) you’re going to hold elections. Despite its humor, it deals with heavy handed topics such as the Cold War powers, banana republics, authoritarian governments, totalitarianism, and military coups.

The game has a very steep learning curve, and beside the bare bones tutorial (as well as a few of the scenarios), you’re pretty much on your own. There are several different scenarios to try, with everything from forging ties with the U.S. to managing a crew of shipwrecked people. You can adjust the difficulty level as well as the frequency of random events (such as hurricanes and the like), so you can have a different game each time. Tropico 2 has a different style of play, with players managing a pirate fortress. You’ll capture citizens to use for slave labor, plunder loot, and keep your gang of pirates happy.
For those who can master its steep learing curve, Tropico will provide hours of enjoyment for armchair dictators. Tropico Reloaded contains Tropico 1, the Paradise Island expansion pack, and Tropico 2: Pirate Cove. Players can purchase it from either Steam or GOG.com. If you ever wanted to rule over an island paradise, become the next Fidel Castro, or command a gang of cutthroat pirates, Tropico is for you.

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From the moment you power on your Wii, it’s not hard to figure out the inspiration for HOTD Overkill: Those sleazy 70s exploitation movies, filled to the brim with sex, violence, and profanity. You know, the kind of movies that Quentin Tarantino recently paid homage to. Levels begin with a drive-in movie style trailer, the graphics have a grainy dirty cinema feel, and the soundtrack is composed of progressive-style rock, and there is a lot of profanity. In fact, the game is set to receive a Guinness World Record for the most profanity in a video game! Taking placeyears before the events of the original HOTD, Overkill follows the exploits of rookie Agent G and officer Isaac Washington as they travel the Bayou to investigate the mysterious Papa Caesar, who has been transforming the populace into mutants. Along the way you’ll meet a stripper named Varla Guns, who seeks revenge for the death of her brother.

Being a shooter, the game is pretty easy to pick up and play. You’ll be blasting zombies apart in no time. You can use money earned in the levels to upgrade your weaponry. When you want a break from the main game, there is a selection of minigames to play. There are also plenty of unlockables to find, including a dual-wielding mode using two Wiimotes, artwork, and a ‘director’s cut’ mode, with higher difficulty level.

HOTD Overkill is an excellent package for Wii Owners starved for more serious action, and Tarantino fans especially will get a kick out of the grindhouse-inspired action. If you have the Wii Zapper (or better yet Nyko’s Perfect Shot) then it will go great with this game. What else are you waiting for? Cock your gun, load your ammo, and get ready to pay another visit to The House of the Dead.

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At the conclusion of the previous game, you had been blackmailed into helping out a corrupt bureaucrat just hours after taking out Stillwater’s three biggest gangs. You met with him on a boat which then exploded. The good news is that you managed to survive. Unfortunately you were mangled so badly that the prison doctors can’t even tell if you were a man or woman. That’s right, you can create females this time around. The sliders have also been refined, so you can create someone as bizarre as you want them to be. Oddly enough, no matter how you make your character, everyone you bump into will recognize you. From there, it’s time to escape the prison. The game throws you into the wringer from the start, but hey, at least you aren’t spending the game’s first few hours babysitting your pathetic douchebag of a cousin (*cough*GTAIV*hack*). You then learn that things have gone south since you went absent. The Ultor corporation controls most of the city’s underground after they renovated the city. The Saints have disbanded, and three new gangs are taking control of Stillwater. Johnny Gat is on death row, Julius has gone missing, Dex works for Ultor, and Troy, (the two-faced son of a bitch who blew up the boat you were on) is now the chief of police. So now it’s up to you to put the Saint’s back together, dispose of the three new gangs, get revenge, and take back the city.

The mission layout is similar to the first game. The three gangs, the Ronin, the Sons of Samedi, and the Brotherhood each have their own self-contained storyline. To gain access to new missions, you have to fill up your respect bar. The fastest way to do this is by performing activities. All your favorites from the first game have returned, along with several new ones. Wait until you see Septic Avenger, FUZZ, and Trailblazer to name a few. You can also perform diversions, minigame-like activities which earn you small amounts of respect. These include drive-by shootings, hostage ransom, and more. If you get tired, you can chill out at one of your cribs. You can even play the video game Zombie Uprising on your game console. The customization options have returned, and they are bigger than ever. You can outfit any car you wish and store them in your garage just like the last game. You can also change the look of your pad, your fighting style, and your gang’s tag. You can even change the dress style of your gang, and you can change their motif into anything from Secret Service to prohibition-era gangsters, to ninjas. Yes, ninjas. even though Saint’s Row 2’s story is a bit darker, it has lost none of it’s comedic edge, and it has even become more absurd. A pre-order code gains players access to a flying saucer and a midget motorcycle for crying out loud.

GTA San Andreas fans will be pleased to know that there are several playable aircraft and motorcycles in the game, and there are even satchel charges. It’s always funny to see a civilian run around frantically with a satchel charge attached to them. Multiplayer is back, and although it’s no Halo, it makes an excellent diversion from the main game. The game also includes drop-in/drop-out co-op for a system link or Xbox Live/PSN pal. You can also download two mission packs, one of which features adult film starlet Tera Patrick. One thing that I like (and this was in the original game too) is that the gangs are made up of people of different races and genders. It’s not uncommon to see women running alongside men. Nothing brings the people of the world together better than deviant criminal activity.

If you didn’t like the original game, then you won’t like the sequel either. If you did like the previous game, Saint’s Row 2 presents players with more of a good thing. It might copy Grand Theft Auto’s formula, but at least Volition once again chose to copy what worked rather than what didn’t.

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C&C3 takes place a few years after the Second Tiberium War (in C&C: Tiberium Sun). Kane is seemingly dead and the Brotherhod of NOD has seemingly been scattered. However, things are anything but calm. The world’s surface is becoming increasingly poisoned by Tiberium radiation, with many parts of the world becoming unsuitable for human life. Unfortunately, these contaminated areas of the world house much of the worlds population, with the Global Defense Initiative’s headquarters being located in the uncontaminated blue zones. With civil unrest increasing throughout the population, it’s the perfect opportunity for NOD to bolster its forces. When the alien Scrin show up, the stakes have never been higher for the GDI.

When you hit the battlefield, you’ll have several units at your disposal for whatever faction you’re playing as. The single player missions are large and complex, and the feature several optional objectives you can compete. Completing these secondary objectives will award you with information about the game’s units, as well as news logs which give a greater insight into the world of Command and Conquer. The gameplay still boils down to the RTS basics: gather resources, build your army, then steamroll the enemy. However, C&C has never been the most complex RTS franchise, and there is still a lot of strategy involved. It doesn’t completely abandon C&C Generals’ ideas either. The game uses an enhanced version of General’s SAGE engine to power its graphics, and there is more of an emphasis on research and unit upgrades. There are also special commander abilities which function similar to the Generals powers, and units are more individualized for each of the three factions. However, the Scrin campaign, which must be unlocked, is woefully short.

You can also take the game online and compete against other players in matches that can be broadcast for spectators worldwide. You can even use EA’s battlecast to set up matches with other players. The Xbox 360 version even lets players use their vision camera. Speaking of the Xbox 360 version, while a joystick can never be a suitable substitute for a mouse and keyboard, C&C 3 has a pretty good control scheme which was adopted from EA’s Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2. It makes it simple to create and select units, and it helps make the RTS genre more accessible on consoles. PC users can download the SDK and create their own modifications as they see fit.

The game’s graphics and music do an excellent job of conveying the image of foreboding doom, making you feel that it’s time to pull out all the stops in every battle you fight in. Longtime series fans will enjoy the live action cinemas, which include talent such as Michel Ironside (Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher), Josh Hollloway (Lost), Billy Dee Williams (Lando), and of course, the messiah himself, Joseph Kucan, who reprises his role as series villain Kane.

C&C 3 does an excellent job of returning the series to its roots. While it may not bee as deep as Starcraft or Empire Earth, C&C 3 maintains its status as one of the most significant games of the RTS genre. It’s too bad that the planned FPS spin-off was canceled.

Oh and for more C&C 3 fun, grab the Kane’s Wrath expansion pack. It features a new campaign for NOD, new units, and subfactions for multplayer.

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Well, now that the turkey is digested and the Black Friday bargain hunting is done, it’s time to get a start on your holiday shopping. Of course, I’m here to help you get a head start. For the $20 GOTW, I’ve got one of those new-fangled rhythm games that the kids seem to love so much, and for the lost classic, I got one of those old-school style PC RPGs that a select few tend to love.

$20 Game of the Week Part 1: Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360, PS2)
There have been music games long before the Guitar Hero series. However, none of them have done the genre justice like the Guitar Hero series. The Guitar Hero series has made the genre more accessible thanks in no small part to the prop guitar that comes with the game and the recognizable song list. Even hip-hop heads such as me can recognize many of the songs on the game’s playlist, and it’s not uncommon to go into stores like Best Buy and see people gathering around an in-store product demo. The genre has spurned many knockoffs and imitators, but beside Rock Band (which was created by series creator Harmonix), few of them have gotten the genre right.

Guitar Hero II is a very important entry for the series for two reasons. Number one, it was the first to go multiplatform (hitting Xbox 360 months after the PS2 release). Number two, it introduced music tracks downloadable content. For a cheap price, your playlist can get even bigger, making your game experience fresh. These two features helped change the face of the music game genre. Thanks to the online model that Harmonix and Activision introduced, more and more of your favorite bands and tracks are showing up for current games such as Rock Band 2 and Lips.

(Obviously the $20 or less price tag is for the game by itself and without the guitar. )

Lost Classics: Realms of Arkaina (PC)
The main thing that separates console RPGs from their PC counterparts is their ties to the old school pen-and-paper RPGs of the past. You know, the kind that you have to roll 10 or 20 sided die in order to generate your character’s stats. Even with current hits like Dragon Age and Oblivion don’t stray too far from the Dungeons and Dragons blueprint with their character customization. While games such as Final Fantasy and Breath of Fire feature characters who are unique, games such as Mass Effect and Neverwinter Nights have concentrated on having players making unique characters. Earlier RPGs especially stuck close to this blueprint, even at the cost of their accessibility. One of the earliest examples of this trend was SirTech’s Realms of Arkania. Based on the German pen and paper RPG The Dark Eye, Arkania features several features from other RPGs, such as Might and Magic 3 and Eye of the Beholder. The game takes place mostly in a 3D view, but switches to an isometric view for the turn-based strategy battles.

This 2 pack features the first two games in the series, Blade of Destiny and Star Trail. In Balde of Destiny, players have to find the pieces of a legendary sword in order to defeat an orc king while in Star Trail, players have to find a legendary artifact which will unite elves in dwarves in battle against the orcs. The cool thing about this series is that players can save the game after beating them, and carry their characters over into the sequel. The game has a very steep learning curve. Along with simply having to defeat enemies, you also have to make sure they get adequate food, water, and rest. You also risk catching the flu if you don’t use blankets while sleeping. Unlike today’s RPGs which put you through an intro, the game tends to throw you right into things without telling you what to do, so reading the instruction manual is a must. You’ll also want to find a decent strategy guide or FAQ somewhere online.

Realms of Arkania has a very steep learning curve that WILL scare away most players. However, for those who do manage to get a hang on how things work and how to approach the game, the game can be quite rewarding. You’ll get into some serious level grinding and exploring, and you’ll be spending time in the game’s generation section crafting the perfect party to use. There is a 2 pack featuring the first 2 games in the series at GOG.com. The third game, Shadows Over Riva is also available on the site, and both can be purchased for $5.99 each.

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MadWorld takes place in Jefferson City. A group of terrorists have taken control of the city, and have instigated a gameshow called Death Watch. In Death Watch, players get points for killing each other. Think of it as survivor meets Battle Royale. You play as a man named Jack, who has a chainsaw attached to his arm. It is up to Jack to survive Death Watch and find out the truth about what’s going on while earning his way to top ranking in the Death Watch games. You increase your rank by killing enemies. The faster, more elaborate, and gorier your kills are, the more points you score. You are encouraged to use weapons, objects in the environment, and whatever else you can use to kill them. You can impale them on a street sign, toss them into spikes, or throw them into barrels and toss them into a dumpster. After scoring various amounts of points, you are awarded with new weapons, items, and eventually a fight with the area’s boss. You can also unlock minigames you can play against a friend. The game’s graphics are in black and white, reminiscent of Frank Miler’s Sin City, although the bright red blood offers a sharp contrast. The music is composed of underground hip hop from Japanese artists, and throughout the game there is an announce team making hilarious wisecracks about what’s going on.

Even though this game (along with House of the Dead Overkill which was also released by Sega this past spring on the Wii) isn’t selling the way it should, it’s good to see that companies such as Sega are committed to giving the Wii some much needed entertainment geared towards older audiences. It’s a bit on the short side, but you’ll have hours of fun just racking up combos, playing the challenges, and earning points. Hopefully this game’s low sales won’t discourage it’s creators from making a sequel.

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$20 Game of the Week: Castlevania-Order of Ecclesia (Nintendo DS)
A series that sticks this closely for this long shouldn’t be allowed to be enjoyable. However, despite sticking to the exploration-heavy style of 1997’s Symphony of the Night, each Nintendo portable installment of Castlevania has managed to add in enough gameplay mechanics and variety to keep the series fresh and enjoyable, and the latest entry in the series, Order of Ecclesia, is no exception.

OOE takes place between SOTN and Castlevania Bloodlines. The Belmonts are MIA after the Vampire Killer whip’s power was corrupted. In their place, several organizations have sprung up, each dedicated to taking down Dracula. Ecclesia is one of these organizations, and your character, Shanoa, is a member. The Order may have discovered a way to take down Dracula for good: a set of glyphs called the Dominus. When a jealous rival steals the Dominus, causing Shanoa to lose her in the process, Shanoa sets out to get it back, dealing with any supernatural threats along the way. Your main way of attacking is with glyphs, objects which draw from your magical power. You gain them by defeating certain enemies or by completing certain sections of the game. These glyphs include everything from swords and temporary stat boosts to projectile attacks and familiar Castlevania sub-weapons. They all use magic, so while they recover quickly, one must be careful not to overuse them, least they be out of juice at a critical moment.

OOE once again takes the SOTN approach, in which exploration and backtracking are the key to getting ahead. You’ll gain relics and abilities which will open up new sections, so you always want to keep your eye open. This time around, the world is split up into several smaller locations instead of one huge central location like in previous games. A village serves as a hub world of sorts, where you can buy items, converse with non-player characters, and recover. Throughout the game you’ll rescue villagers, who then give you requests to carry out. Most of these revolve around finding an item of sorts, but there is a big reward for doing so. One thing you’ll notice about this game is that it’s very hard, especially in the first few areas. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself doing some level grinding. The boss fights are especially tough, but if you can decipher their attack pattern, they become a bit easier. In typical Castlevania fashion, there are numerous unlockables available after completing the game.

Once again, Konami has recycled their familiar formula while still keeping things fresh. Although many Castlevania fans have been patiently awaiting something new for a long time (such as the upcoming Lords of Shadow), Konami is still releasing quality entries such as this to tide them over in the meantime.

Lost Classics: Clock Tower (Playstation 1)
This Playstation 1 game is actually a sequel to the Super Nintendo Clock Tower game which was only released in Japan. It’s basically a point-and-click adventure title, but there are also survival horror elements, and it’s the video game equivalent of a slasher flick. Playing as one of two characters, you must discover the truth surrounding a series of murderers carried out by Scissorman, a deformed serial killer. What’s notable about this game is that the main character is weaker than the villain. While solving the game’s puzzles, you’ll be attacked by Scissorman at random, and you’ll either have to find some way to temporarily fend him off or find a safe hiding spot. The story changes depending on what choices you make, and both characters have 5 different endings. Clock Tower has enjoyed a strong cult following. It spawned two sequels, with Clock Tower 3 being published by Capcom. Hopefully it won’t be long before we see tis game on the Playstation Network, as horror fans looking for a different type of survival horror will love it.

Lost Classics: Sweet Home (NES)
Designed by Resident Evil’s Shinji Mikami, Capcom’s Sweet Home served as the inspiration behind Resident Evil, along with the survival horror genre itself. This Japan-only Super Famicom game was released in conjunction with the movie of the same name. As a matter of fact, a trailer for the movie included footage from the game, advertising both at the same time. Although it didn’t sell too well and wasn’t released outside of Japan, Sweet Home introduced a number of innovations to the RPG genre, and even included a few elements from the adventure game genre. Features such as limited inventory management, the mansion setting, the use of notes to tell parts of the story, and even the ‘door’ loading screen all show up in other survival horror games, most notable Resident Evil.

Players control a team of 5 characters who end up trapped in a haunted mansion while on an assignment to photograph and restore a series of wall murals. They must contend with a series of ghosts and creatures, and try to survive the mansion. Each of the characters has their own abilities, and you’ll have to use each of them in order to make it through the game. However, if a character dies, then you’ll find an item which can simulate their abilities. This is important too, because if a character dies, then you lose them for the entire game, thus making the survival theme more important than ever. You can switch between the characters at any time, and there are 5 different endings depending on who survives.

It’s a shame that this game never made it over here, nor is there any chance of the game showing up on Virtual Console. Beside hunting down an import, the only way to check out this game is via an unauthorized fan translation. Despite its limited popularity, Sweet Home helped lay the foundation for survival horror. Now would be a good time for a sequel, or even a remake.

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You’ll explore a huge base and fight several high tech enemies. The game moves along in 2.5d, and you weapon has an auto aim function which is used to hit enemies which are in the background. Just like in Metroid, you’ll do a lot of exploration, and you’ll earn several items, abilities, and weapons which you’ll use to access new areas and secrets. Rather than having to bomb every single inch, you’ll use a flashlight which reveals what is needed to get ahead. You’ll also gain experience points in order to increase your abilities. A minimap function helps you find your way around the base easy. You’ll encounter several boss battles, and there are several hidden achievements to unlock. Along with the main storyline, there is a mode called ‘Proving Grounds’, where you play through a series of challenges.

Shadow Complex is one of the finest titles to grace the Xbox Live Arcade to date. It can even give many boxed games a run for their money. The excellent narrative and compelling gameplay make Shadow Complex one of the best Xbox 360 games released this year, be it on disc, or through digital distribution.

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When Sony entered the market as a console manufacturer, they began a whole new era of gaming, and much of it was due to the rise of disc-based gaming. Disc based systems at the time were becoming more commonplace due to CDs being easier and cheaper to manufacture. Since they could hold more information than floppy disks and cartridges, it was easy to see why they were becoming increasingly attractive to developers. Even before the Sony, there were already several disc-based systems on the market, although few of them fully utilized the potential of the added storage space and horse power of the medium. The Sega CD for instance, was merely an add-on to the Sega Genesis. Most of its line up either consisted of amped-up versions of Sega Genesis titles, arcade ports, and interactive movies. such as the controversial Night Trap. The Super CD, an add on for the Turbographix-16, had a slightly more impressive lineup (including the highly sought after Dracula X), but it never made it beyond the borders of Japan. The 3DO, which was a standalone system, carried many of the interactive movies that graced the Sega CD, and it also boasted arcade-perfect ports of games such as Samurai Showdown and Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo. However, its high price tag prevented it from making a huge impact in the marketplace. The Phillips CD-I, just plain sucked.

Around the early 90s, Nintendo wanted to jump into the CD gaming market. Originally, it was Sony who would help them develop the technology that would power the new system. Sony was of course no stranger to gaming. Under the name Sony Imagesoft, they developed and published several games for their soon-to-be competitors (in fact, you may have even seen a couple of them as Lost Classics). However, the deal would fall through due to lawsuits on both sides, and Nintendo opted to go with Phillips instead. That deal would also fall apart, and Nintendo would eventually abandon the concept of a CD based gaming system altogether in favor of cartridge-based the Nintendo 64. It’s because of this reason that many suspect that the Playstation is what Nintendo’s CD system would have been. Regardless of weather or not that rumor was true, it was ironic that Sony, the people slated to work with Nintendo on their new hardware, instead usurped their place as top dog console manufacturer.

The Playstation, arriving on U.S. shores in 1995, had a slow start due to its $300 price tag. Its major competition would be Nintendo’s Nintendo 64 and Sega’s Saturn. The former, despite introducing the analog stick to gaming, would unfortunately be a nightmare for third party developers due to Nintendo’s stubborn insistence on a cartridge-based medium. The later, despite having a promising library of games that included Panzer Dragoon, Fighter’s Mega Mix, and Guardian Saga, was killed off by Sega in favor of the similarly ill-fated Dreamcast. Sony lowered the Playstation’s price tag shortly after its release, and soon it made its way into the homes of many a gamer who had grown up with Sega and/or Nintendo products. Before long, the big two had finally became the big three.

Like the NES a decade ago, the Sony Playstation would change the face of gaming forever, not just through its technology, but by the library of games that was released for the system, weather they were from Sony’s in-house teams or from third party developers, many of which had churned out product for Sega and Nintendo for years. Games released on the Playstation either refined or introduced game mechanics that would shape gaming for the next 14 years. The following is a list of 10 of the most significant games and franchises that were released for Sony’s console. It’s not a list of the ten best games, as there would be some games that would have been left off and others that would have been included instead.

1. Final Fantasy VII
Perhaps no one game demonstrated the Playstation’s contribution to the video game market better than Final Fantasy VII. What made this game even more shocking was that it was even on a Playstation console at all, as Square had plied it’s trade exclusively for Nintendo since the late 1980s. However, Square left Nintendo’s stable, claiming that the company’s insistence on using cartridges was keeping developers such as Square from taking their games in the direction that they wanted to. Seeing FFVII in action, it was clear what that direction was. While the series always had deep and moving plotlines, the beautiful CG cinematics, which at times rivaled even Disney’s Toy Story, drove it home in a way never seen before. Who can forget that moment when Aeris was brutally killed by Sephiroth, or when the city of Midgard collapsed onto itself, or even when the planet is only moments away from annihilation during the game’s ending? The beautiful cinemas, along with the solid RPG gameplay that the Final Fantasy series was always known for, made FFVII a huge system seller for the Playstation, and it changed the face of an entire genre.

2. Metal Gear Solid
In hindsight, it seemed strange that Konami would choose to revive Metal Gear. The most U.S. gamers had seen of the series was its NES incarnation (which series creator Hideo Kojima didn’t even like) and its unofficial sequel Snake’s Revenge (which Kojima had no involvement with). Meanwhile in Japan, Metal Gear and its official sequel (which Kojima created after Snake’s Revenge) were both released on the MSX home computer. When Metal Gear Solid hit the Playstation however, it became an instant classic with players, and introduced stealth action gameplay to the masses. Though Thief came before it, MGS made stealth gameplay mainstream, as more and more developers incorporate stealth elements into their game. Like Final Fantasy VII, it also made use of cinematics to move its plot. While some more jaded gamers criticize the cinemas as being long winded, the cinemas did a good job of bringing the world to life and adding additional backstory to the series. Plot threads created here would still be bought up in later games in the series, such as last year’s MGS 4. The game also set the tone for the memorable boss fights that would be seen throughout the series. Boss fights such as sniper battle with Sniper Wolf in a snow-covered forest and the fight with Vulcan Raven (who was so huge you had to hit him with remote-controlled missiles) were intense and required strategy and planning to win. The crown jewel of these fights however, was the battle with Psycho Mantis who read your mind by reading the saves off your memory card (of course once you figured out the trick, it was simple to defeat him in short order). It was such features that saw Metal Gear Solid go from one of yesterday’s most sought after games to one of today’s hottest gaming franchises.

3. Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 5 hit the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 this past spring. For the most part, it has been generally well received, and will most likely be nominated for one or more year-end gaming awards. However, many people will agree that RE5 is missing what made the series so special to begin with. If one were to discuss the glory days of the series, then there is a good chance they will point to this second entry. While the first Resident Evil may not have created what is known as the survival horror genre (that honor goes to Alone in the Dark), it provided a blueprint that many developers tried to copy, although few would succeed. The sequel took everything that made the first great and made it even better. Trading in the first game’s secluded mansion for an average American town, RE2 provided players with scares of something that could almost happen tomorrow. Like the first game, there were two heroes players could pick from. This time however, the adventure was so huge, each character had their own disc. Best of all, after you finished the game with one person, you could load up the second disc and play as the other character, complete with new areas, enemies, plot details, and an extended ending. There were also several unlockable features, and this insured that the dame would have plenty of replay value. Years before games like Left 4 Dead and Dead Rising, it was Resident Evil that bought George Romero-style zombie killing fun to gamers.

4. Tekken 2
Since the early days of video gaming, the biggest challenge was getting arcade games to run at home. With primitive games such as Pong and Space Invaders, it was pretty easy. However, moving into the 80s with the NES, developers had to make compromises in order to get their games to run as best as they can while staying true to the arcade. The SNES and Geneses came pretty close, but as games such as Street Fighter II and Fatal Fury began to make use of more advance hardware, even they had to work with home versions that were graphically inferior to their arcade counterparts. However, when companies began to make disc-based systems, they finally had the horse power and storage capabilities to match the latest arcade hardware. Tekken 2 in particular, was one of the first instances of home versions that were actually surpassing their arcade counterparts. Not only did the Playstation 1 version of Tekken 2 feature graphics that were on par with the arcade version, it featured a remixed soundtrack, a new CGI intro and CGI animated endings (gotta love Anna William’s shower scene). The beautiful opening sequence pulled players into the game, and for many people (myself included), it signified the very reason they bought a Playstation. Later Namco fighters, such as Tekken 3 and Soul Edge would continue the trend by offering even more improved graphics and game modes not found in the arcade. As far as the gameplay, its sheer amount of unlockable characters, 3D combat, and emphasis on real fighting styles and combos (as opposed to the fireballs and flying kicks found in the Mortal Kombats and Street Fighters) made Tekken (along with Sega’s Virtua Fighter) much more advanced than any other fighting game on the market at a time when the series stood along alongside Battle Arena Toshinden and Virtua Fighter in the 3D fighting genre. Even when the market became over-saturated with copycats during the late 90s (just as the 2d fighting game market became over-saturated during the mid-90s), Tekken stood tall and maintained its identity, and it’s successive entries (Tekken 4 notwithstanding) continue to set standards for the fighting game genre.

5. Twisted Metal 2
The Playstation era saw the rise of a new genre, car combat, and Sony’s Twisted Metal was at the top of the pack. This new genre was basically demolition derby with guns added. Nintendo’s Mario Kart laid down the foundation for this new genre, but it was games such as Twisted Metal which really moved it forward. Twisted Metal 2 was heralded by many fans as the best entry in the series, as it would be the last game in the series that developer Singletrac worked on before splitting from Sony. Twisted Metal 2 took the chaos from the original game and took it around the world, from Los Angeles to Paris. The slightly destructible environments added strategy to the game and made for some cool visuals. It was quite satisfying to watch the Eiffel Tower blow up and destroy anyone stupid enough to be inside. The game’s cast of bizarre characters also made Twisted Metal 2 memorable. Players could hit the mode with characters such as Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm, Axel, and several other drivers who were unique as the vehicles they drove. Besides Twisted Metal, the amount of games that could do car combat right can almost be counted on only one hand. Not even Sony could properly follow up Twisted Metal 2, as Twisted Metal 3 was ill received by fans and Twisted Metal 4 went ignored. It wasn’t until SingleTrac developers reunited with Sony to develop Twisted Metal Black. Even after that game’s success, the PSP entry Twisted Metal Head On bought back the atmosphere of Twisted Metal 2 while negating 3 and 4 from the franchise’s overall storyline.

6. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
While the previous 5 games set new boundaries in 3D gaming, Konami’s Castlevania proved that there was still room for old school 2D gameplay in the new era of gaming. Not only that, but they introduced a brand-new style of gameplay for the long-standing series, trading in the traditional linear gameplay for an exploration-focused nonlinear design that was seeming inspired by Metroid. With RPG elements added to the gameplay, SOTN was one of the biggest and deepest Castlevania games yet. Players took control of Alucard, the son of Dracula. He was tasked with discovering the truth behind the sudden appearance of his father’s fortress Castlevania, which was ran by none other than….Richtel Belmont? Playing through the game, it would become apparent that things were not at all what they seemed. Just when you thought you had the whole game figured out (and provided you had the right item), the game threw in a monkey wrench, and you had to explore an alternate version of Castlevania which was upside down. It was moments such as that which made SOTN a hit with both fans and critics alike. It was such a hit, that many later Castlevania titles stuck closely to SOTN’s formula.

7. Street Fighter Alpha 3
It was only by the good grace of god that SFA3 was able to hit the Playstation. The PS1 wasn’t particularly adept at handling the CPS 2 and 3 powered Capcom arcade titles. In fact, many Playstation home ports of Capcom arcade games had to cut out several frames of animation and reduce the speed just to get it to fit. As a matter of fact, a PS1 version of X-Men vs Street Fighter which had been released the prior year had cut out the tag team mode which made the arcade game so popular. So it came as a total shock when it was announced that not only would Street Fighter Alpha 3 come to Playstation, but it would also contain several extras. SFA 3 bought back all the classic Street Fighter characters such as Ken, Ryu, and Chun Li. Several new characters were added, such as Kari and R. Mika. The home version bought back characters such as Guile and Fei Long, and therefore SFA 3’s cast contained every character who was even in a 2D Street Fighter game. Several home exclusive game modes made the package even more epic. World Tour mode allowed players to develop their characters RPG style, while Dramatic Battle mode allow players to create 2 on one handicap matchups, complete with a special background that was reminiscent of the Street Fighter animated movie, thereby allowing gamers to relive that final battle against M. Bison from the film. It was good to see that even as Tekken and SoulCalibur were taking the 3D fighting genre to new heights, companies such as Capcom were keeping 2D fighting games alive and well.

8. Tomb Raider
When it was first released, Tomb Raider representative a new standard for action gaming with its exploration-heavy gameplay, fully 3D environments and movement, and polygonal graphics. Players explored exotic locales such as Egypt and Peru while solving puzzles and avoiding deadly traps. However, Tomb Raider might be more famous for its protagonist, Lara Croft. Despite her ‘assets’, Lara Croft became a hit with gamers as a female Indiana Jones. Croft was such a hit with fans, that Eidos commissioned several real life actresses to portray her. Perhaps the most famous was Angelina Jolie, who played the part of Lara Croft in the two Tomb Raider films. Tomb Raider spawned a franchise, complete with movies, comic books, and action figures. While the series suffered through a serious slump for several years, 2006’s Tomb Raider Legend bought the franchise back from the depths of its own tomb, once again setting it apart from the many games that tried to rip off its formula.

9. Gran Turismo 2
While Namco’s Ridge Racer helped attract racing fans to Sony’s console, the capacity of the PS1’s disc allowed for something that was bigger and more expansive than what the Ridge Racer games had offered. Polyphony Digital helped to deliver this in spades with Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo offered racing fans a simulation that had an unprecedented amount of depth, and its sequel added even more complexity. Featuring 27 tracks and 650 cars from real world manufacturers, Gran Turismo was a dream package for car enthusiasts. Players had to earn licenses to compete on new courses, earn trophies, and buy new cars in order in order to progress. There was an arcade mode for players to unwind by taking any car on any track. This time however, the game was so huge that the game needed to be split between two discs! One disc was for simulation, and the other was for arcade mode. Gran Turismo had so much to offer players regardless of weather of not they were racing enthusiasts. A soundtrack featuring then-current rock hits helped to seal the deal for gamers. To this day, Gran Turismo 2 remains one of the biggest racing games of all time, and it helped to make room for more complex racing games such as Forza Motorsport on the Xbox.

10. Suikoden
Long before Final Fantasy VII changed the face of RPG gaming, Konami’s Suikoden took what was best about old school 16 bit RPGs and added in a few new tricks. For starters, players assembled their crew by seeking out 108 different characters, with a majority of them being available to use in combat. The storyline was quite deep as well, and it smacked of political intrigue and double crossing. One on one dueling and all-out war modes (both of which played similar to paper, rock, and scissors), helped break up the action. Even in today’s modern RPG world, games such as Suikoden showed gamers that old school RPG can hold its own against the fancy new RPGs that were popping up on the PS1 and its competition.

I think I speak for many gamers when I say that while it was because of Nintendo that got me playing video games, it was because of Sony that I kept playing them. These games, along with countless others, have played a vital role in shaping gaming into what it is today. So whenever you stock your garage in Forza, blow apart a zombie in Left 4 Dead, or make your way through the world of Shadow Complex, think about the Playstation. Even today as the system is well into its third iteration, the Playstation’s library continues to innovate with games such as Little Big Planet and Resistance. If you haven’t checked out these games yet, then I strongly advise you to do so, weather you purchase them off the Playstation Network, or buy them from amazon.com (by clicking the thumbnails).

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Along with the original mode (called Evolved), there are 5 other modes that have to be unlocked as you play the game (don’t worry, they’re pretty easy to unlock). In Deadline, players have to score as many points as they can within a 3-minute time limit. King requires players to make shots from within the zone. The zone changes location frequently, so you have to be on your toes. Waves gives players one life and forces them to survive several waves of missiles while avoiding being hit. Sequence has players battling through 20 30-second sequences of enemies while trying not to lose all of their lives. Finally, Pacifism forces players to see how long they can survive while not being able to shoot. The game also packs in competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes, including one where one players controls the ship and the other fires its guns. Even if some of these new game modes seem a bit on the shallow side, they help add more variety to an already great game.

Regardless of if you played the original or not, Xbox 360 owners would do well to download this sequel. The dual analog control scheme is as intuitive as ever, and players will get a kick out of the old school gaming experience. With online leaderboards, you can compete worldwide for bragging rights. It may not be Halo, but it’s wickedly fun and it can easily suck up a lot of your free time.

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Based on the Japanese TV series Retro Game Master, or GameCenter CX, Retro Game Challenge is a compilation of games made as if they had been developed for the NES. The game also features a story. The game master Arino has become disenchanted with gaming after losing at online multiplayer one too many times (a plight I’m sure many of you can relate to). Taking his frustrations out on you, he has sent you back in time, turned you into a child, and is forcing you to play through the games he enjoyed as a youth. You’ll unlock the games as you progress, and each game has several challenges to meet. As you finish each game’s challenges, they become unlocked for you to play anytime you wish. Just like in real life, you’ll read instruction manuals, check out gaming magazines, and even make use of cheat codes. There is a subplot about 2 kids playing video games together, but it doesn’t have any bearing on the actual gameplay.

As for the games themselves, while they are brand new and exclusive to this cartridge, they are reminiscent of various NES titles and early arcade classics. Cosmic Gate is a Galaga-style shooter, while Guadia Quest is a role-playing game. Robot Ninja Haggle Man is a platformer series which progresses from being a Mappy-style hop and bop in its first game to a exploration-heavy action game in its third, complete with upgradable abilities and battery backup save. Although the game doesn’t have much variety (one game, Rally King SP, is simply an upgraded version of another), this game has something for everyone, and it’s an awesome way to take a trip down memory lane, even if the games are fictional. There is a sequel in Japan which features 16-bit games, although U.S. publisher XSEED has stated that it would be unlikely to receive a U.S. release due to the low sales of the original game. However, there is always hope that they will change their stance. Until then, Retro Game Challenge is a must-buy for Nintendo DS owners, especially those who like old-school gaming.

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College Hoops 2K8 features lots of cool stuff to keep college basketball fans playing for months. You can create your own chants, highlight reels, plays, and sound clips. While the models aren’t as detailed as the NBA 2K games, they are well animated, and you’ll see fans in the stands cheering, coaches flipping out on the sidelines, and players high-fiving each other after scoring. The game’s much touted 6th man feature, which basically involves filling a meter and getting the crowd on your side after making big dunks doesn’t do much for the core gameplay, but it’s nice to hear your school going wild. Legacy mode is back, and you can either take control of any school in ‘Open Legacy’ mode or play in ‘Career Legacy’ mode, where you start out by coaching lousy teams like the Air Force and moving up from there. You’ll scout potential high school recruits, pick a coaching staff, and decide who to sign. The legacy mode even features Amateur Basketball Leagues, which serve as high school teams. You can even play a prospect’s high school game, making the recruitment process even deeper. The package is rounded out with an underground hip-hop soundtrack featuring guys like Jurassic 5, J-Dilla, and Percee P.

By putting their series on an indefinite hiatus, 2K has virtually given the college hoops crown to EA Sport’s March Madness. However, at least the College Hoops series goes out on a positive note with this entry. Hopefully, 2K will restart in sometime down the road. Until then, College Hoops 2K8 is for college basketball what NFL 2K5 was for football: a complete package that provides something for everyone who loves the sport, and ends its franchise with a bang.

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You play as Postal Dude Jr, the son of the original Postal Dude (see, I told you that was the guy’s name). He lives in a trailer in Paradise city with his dog and his (rhymes with witch) of a wife. Postal 2 takes place over the course of a seemingly normal week in Postal Dude’s life. Beginning on Monday, he goes to work to collect his paycheck only to discover that he has been fired, and from there, things go downhill. Before long, Postal Dude mixes it up with protesters, religious cultists, crooked policemen, rednecks, and even the Taliban. Thankfully, Postal 2 sticks to dark humor this time instead of the first title’s pure shock value. Many of the situations you’ll encounter in the game are satirical in nature. You’ll find many references to Columbine and the anthrax scare. The game also takes several jabs at senator Joe Lieberman. You can dismember enemies and watch them crawl away, and you smoke crack pipes in order to restore your health.

The main change from the previous game is that Postal 2 is a first person shooter powered by Unreal Engine 2.0. Also, the game is played in a sandbox style, similar to Dead Rising. Each day of the week you are given several tasks to do, and it is up to you how and when to approach them. Although the majority of these tasks are seemingly mundane (i.e. going to pick up a carton of milk, going to the bank, urinating on your father’s grave, grabbing a Christmas tree), things usually get crazy after you do the task. Most of the time you’ll be stuck in a line waiting for your turn. After taking care of business, the place will most likely come under siege from a 3rd party, and you’ll have to survive long enough to make your way out. You’ll meet anti-gaming protesters, book burners, a marching band, and even Gary Coleman. At one point, you’ll even wind up kidnapped and dressed in a gimp costume. While the first title forced you to kill in order to progress, this game is only as violent as you make it. As a matter of fact, it is possible to make it through the game without killing anyone (although it’s difficult to do so and requires a bit of thinking outside the box). Even though the game will still be pretty violent with adversaries shooting at you and everything around them, at least then the violence would be through no fault of your own. There are also various multiplayer modes available via the Share the Pain expansion, which even includes a map maker. Another expansion, Apocalypse Weekend, adds two new days to the single player game (Saturday and Sunday), new weapons, and new enemies, including Zombies.

One thing does bug me though. It seems that every Muslim in the game is stereotyped as either owning or working at a convenience store called “The Lucky Ganesh”, having an Indian accent (a’la Apu on the Simpsons), and has ties to Osama Bin laden. Maybe this is a satire on America’s post 9/11 fear and ignorance about Arabs and Indians, but it still irks me bit, seeing as how I was raised to respect others regardless of their race. Even with this issue, Postal is a fun game for those who like controversy and can look past its shoddy production values. You can buy this game from the developer’s website at http://gopostal.com, but you can also buy the complete edition, which includes both of the expansions, for $10 at Gog.com. Of course, if you don’t mind spending a little extra, you can purchase both the original game and this package as part of the Postal Fudge Pack DVD. There are also several mods that have been released, including the Week in Paradise and Eternal Damnation Mods (both of which are included in the Fudge Pack). The former allows you to play through both the original game and the Apocalypse Weekend levels and features new dismemberment mechanics, while the latter allows you to play an all new campaign with an all new storyline.

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In Gears of War, cover is the name of the game. If you approach the game like a run-and-gun firefight, you won’t last long. You’ll have to pick your shots carefully and plan out your strategy. Thankfully, the game is still fast paced and intense. The game’s levels progress from one firefight to another, and you’ll be swarmed with enemies. You’ll have some cool weaponry to help you out though. The grenades are huge and are thrown using a cord, similar to a hammer toss. The standard issue rifle has a chainsaw bayonet attached to it, making melee kills incredibly satisfying. The most impressive of these weapons is the Hammer of Dawn, a portable satellite device which calls down a powerful laser blast, but it can only be used in outside areas with clear skies. You’ll need the weapons too, as you’ll face all kinds of enemies, from small, bug like creatures to huge towering monsters.

The team-based multiplayer is a blast to play as well, second only to Halo in terms of Xbox Live popularity. Epic has even supported the game with downloadable content, mainly new map packs. A sequel was released last fall, so many fans of Gears have most likely played through it already. For those who have yet to experience Gears of War, now is a good time to do so. Its graphics set the standard for Unreal Engine 3 powered games, and its gameplay sets a new standard for the shooter genre.

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