Becuase I’m late and it’s the holiday, I’m gonna break you off with two 20 dollar GOTWs this week. So happy 4th of July everyone!

For all of you whining about original IPs dying out, here ya go. An original IP from the creators of the phenominal Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic. Jade Empire is a nice take on the old RPG conventions. It’s set in a mythical land not unlike Ancient China, and you take the role of one of several customizable characters, each with thier own abilities and attributes as you try to find out the secret behind your past. You’ll gain several abilities throughout the course of the game, such as magic, weapons, and th eability to change your form. Just like in KOTOR, you can choose to be a good guy or a bad guy, but soon, the choices won’t be that easy. You can also enlist the help of several followers who will add thier own might and muscle to yours. The combat system is thankfully all real time, with the ability to preform basic strikes, power attacks, blocks, dodges, and even combos.
I can’t understand for the life of me why this game didn’t take off as well as it should have, but it’s still solid. I found a copy of the limited edition at gamestop for 12 dollars! This is an excellent game for RPG fans looking for a break from the same old conventions. WIth Bioware exclusive to Microsoft, this game is a sign of things to come, particularly thier upcomming 360 sci-fi RPG Mass Effect.

In the world of 3-D fighting, three franchises come to mind: Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and Soul Calibur. The first game pioneered the genre, the third introduced complex weapon-based fighting to the tried and true conventions. Tekken may not have had the impact on the genre that the other two did, but it still deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. After 4 solid entries (including Tag Tournament), the series took a step back with Tekken 4, when a frustrating wall fighting system and the attempted insertion of more Soul Calibur-like foot movement turned many players off. Last year, with Tekken 5, Namco revitalized the franchise in a major way. A handful of new characters were added to the Tekken mythos, and the moveset of every returning character recieved a major overhaul. Speaking of returning characters, nearly every character from the past Tekken games shows up. The graphics are some of the best seen on Playstation 2, and there are lots of extras in the game. As an added bonus, the arcade versions of Tekken 1, 2, and 3 have been included for players who want to see how far the series has come.

In the world of 2-d fighting games, 2 names remain at the top; Capcom and SNK.  Sure Arc System and Sammy’s Guilty Gear series may be the better game at the moment, it, as well as other fighting games (both 2-D and 3-D) owe thier existence to the two top dogs of the genre.  The KOF series, with it’s 3 on 3 team-oriented fighting, cast of characters spanning nearly the entire SNK catalog, and it’s heavy storyline has proved to be the fighting genre’s equlivalent to John Madden football.  Ever since it’s inception in 1994, each yearly installment of the series has managed to keep the action fresh as well as satisfy it’s leigons of fans even as the Neo Geo hardware shows it’s age. 

This double pack is a compiliation of the 9th and 10th entries in the series.  KOF 2002 is a “Dream Match”, which is a break in the series’s main storyline.  As such, there is no real plot or endings, but the nature of this game allows for the return of several characters who were either killed off or M.I.A. in the previous installments.  (Most notable of which are Yashiro, Chris, and Shermie of the Orochi team as well as long time SNK villain Rugal.)  KOF 2003 makes the biggest impact however, as it adds a brand-new tag team system as well as lays the ground work for a new storyline featuring the return of the Orochi.  Both of these games are filled with extras, such as hidden artwork, remixed music and backgrounds, and online play (for Xbox only of course).  Anyone who considers themself a fan of fighting games needs to pick this up, and learn some history.  Hopefully we’ll see Neo Geo Battle Coliseum and King of the Fighters XI over here in the near future, but until then, this will definently tide fighting game fans over.

In this third installment of Ubisoft’s “Splinter Cell” spy-thriller franchise, you use unique gadgets and stealth to foil yet another terrorist plot as the series’ grizzled protagonist Sam Fisher. The graphics have leapt miles over Pandora tomorrow, making this one of the best looking games for current generation systems. Environments are more open, and there is less of a penalty for alarms. Environments include Asia, a lighthouse in South America, and a bank in Portugal. The multiplayer has recieved a facelift as well, offering a cool alternative to the Halos and Perfect Darks of online gaming. The co-op mode can almost stand on its own as a seperate game. Since the Splinter Cell series first arrived in 2003, many games have tried to copy its blend of political intrigue and stealth action, but none have come close. The only games that compare to Splinter Cell are Metal Gear and Thief, and those games are different enough as it is. If you don’t have Chaos Theory, grab it now while it’s cheap (The Xbox version is only $13 used at Gamestop), because Splinter Cell: Double Agent will be out very soon.

Sorry I’m late this week, but I was caught up in the holiday. I haven’t included many products strictly for Nintendo systems, so here goes one. This game isn’t a game in the traditional sense. It’s one of those products that takes advantage of the DS’s capabilities to provide something for casual gamers to get into.

Just like your muscles, your brain has to be trained each day. Nintendo co-opted a famous Japanese neurologist to design several puzzles aimed at training your brain. These tasks range from reading out loud to simple math calculations, each designed to get certain areas of your brain working. Also included are 100 puzzles in Sudoku, a simple numerical game that’s recently swept the world, appearing in many newspapers alongside the crossword puzzle. This is quickly becoming my new obsession.

Okay, so It’s no Fight Night, but this Boxing game brings home ROCKY BALBOA!  How ill is that?  You can even play as his opponents, including Apollo Creed, Tommy Guns, VIctor Drago, and Clubber Lang.  Not only that, but all the minor opponents from the movies have been included as well.  You can either choose to take Rocky to the top as in the movies, or you can take one of the other boxers and take him through the tournament mode.  My only beef is that Hulk Hogan’s character Thunderlips wasn’t playable, but oh well.  For those boxing fans looking for something other than Fight Night or fans of the movies, you can’t go wrong at all with this.

Definently something you would not expect to see on any Nintendo system any time soon, Manhunt was an attempt by Rockstar to go against the grain. It was vicious, gory, and brutal, and not comical like the GTA cash cow. Gamers either liked the game or hated it. You play as James Earl Cash, a man whose televised execution was faked just to secure his “participation” into the walking nightmare of Carcer City. Forced to participate in amateur snuff video with only the sadistic director as his ally, he must use stealth kills and deception to defend himself against 4 psychotic gangs, corrupt policemen, and “Piggsy.” Also of note is the instruction manual, which is made to look like an actual snuff order catalog.

In 2004, Midway released ‘The Suffering’ a refreshing take on the survival horror genre.  It was a lot more action focused than the Resident Evils and SIlent Hills, in which it was less about solving puzzless so much as it was about blowing away hideous creatures.  It was basically a combination of SIlent Hill and Max Pane.  Players took the role of Torque, a grim man scentenced to Death Row for the murder of his wife and children, but here was the twist – weather or not he actually committed the crimes depended on how you played the game, giving you one of three endings.  A year later, Midway followed it up with this sequel.  WHile it delivered more of the same action, it was moved to a different setting.  Players with an old save game can load up and get a different starting sequence based on how they finished teh game last time.  You fight against Blackmore and his henchmen, including dozens of new monsters, each based on real life horrors.  Once again your ending differs based on how you play the game.  Although this game’s big plot twist will seem familiar to anyone who has seen Fight club, Midway/surreal has crafted a brand of survival horror that can very well end up being America’s equivalent to Resident Evil.