Although this game was one of the first role playing games to be released on the original Playstation in Japan, it would end up being the one of the last RPGs on the original PS1 in America. Arc the lad spawned several sequels and an anime series. Ironically, even though it was Sony Computer Entertainment themselves who owned the franchise, the ‘anti-2-d’ stance of its American branch was the main factor that prevented this game’s release. Working Designs (best known for its U.S.releases of Lunar) even attempted to score the U.S. publishing rights to the three games, but they were denied by Sony. However, things turned around thanks to new management at Sony and the success of other RPGs, most notable Final Fantasy VII and VIII. After several months of delays, Working Designs finally gave us the chance to play this classic. Not only that, we got all three PS1 games to boot. Arc the Lad Collection carried a $75 price tag, but being able to play this classic RPG series made the hefty price worth it.

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A while ago I featured Taito Legends 2, this game’s console counterpart. For those of you looking for classic action on the go, you can’t go wrong here. It features a smaller selection of games than Taito Legends 2, mostly covering the late 70s to the late 80s. You’ll find classics such as Space Invaders and Rastan along with more obscure games such as Cameltry and Legend of Kage. Similar to Namco Museum for PSP, this disc contains remixed versions of 5 of the games, complete with remade sound and graphics. If you’ve got Taito Legends 2, then you’ve seen most of these games before, but the 5 remixed games, as well as the ability to have these games in your pocket make up for it.

This past week, I featured Twisted Metal Head On: Extra Twisted Edition, so it’s only fair that I feature another car combat game. This game was even developed by SingleTrac, the team behind Sony’s car combat series. Due to creative differences with Sony, SingleTrac briefly split with them, developing this game for GT interactive. When this game was created, the car combat genre was full of copy cats. Many of them weren’t very good. Some of the more notable failures included a WWE car combat spinoff and a Star Wars title that forced players to stop and refuel every few seconds. It’s only fitting that one of the few good games in the genre was created by the developers who innovated it.
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Before God of War, Jak and Daxter, Resistance, Ratchet and Clank, or Sly Cooper, Twisted Metal was the big Playstation franchise. The second game in the series was regarded as one of the best games on the original Playstation. TM3 and 4 weren’t nearly as well received. Twisted Metal Black on the PS2 abandoned the series’s light hearted tone in favor of a darker atmosphere, with the weirdos of previous installments replaced with crazed lunatic serial killers. Fans loved it, and there would even be an online version released a short while later. When the Playstation Portable was released, Twisted Metal Head On was a launch title for the system. Rather than expanding upon TMB’s dark theme, it instead decided to revive the light-hearted atmosphere of Twisted Metal 2, focusing on its best features. In fact, its storyline removed Twisted Metal 3 and 4 from the series canon and regulated Black as being a dream inside Sweet Tooth’s head. Now for the benefit for those who refuse to buy a PSP, Twisted Metal Head On cones to Playstation 2 with a few new features.
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Although it’s all but unknown over here, Hirohiko Araki’s manga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has enjoyed a sizable following in its native Japan. A bizarre mash up of vampires, martial artists, fortune tellers, superheroes, and gangsters, Jojo is a story about the trials and tribulations of the Joestar family. A major focus of the series are the stands, psychic entities which grant their users powers. Much of the series has been inspired by music, as it features several characters who have been named after songs, rappers, and rock bands. The series has been divided into 6 arcs, each taking place in a different time period and centered around a different main character. Capcom produced a series of games based on the third story arc, in which Jotaro Joestar, his grandfather, and their allies travel to Egypt to defeat a vampire in order to save Jotaro’s mother from her own stand (don’t ask). Although they are fighting games, they are as far removed from Street Fighter as they get. The first game, Jojo’s Venture, was released in the arcades in 1998 and was bought to the PS1 and Dreamcast with exclusive features. In typical Capcom fashion, Jojo’s Venture received a championship edition-style update complete with new characters and features known as Heritage for the Future. A third game was released in Japan for the PS2, but never made it over here.
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Alright all you aspiring game designers, wanna make your own game? Want to make an RPG? Not quite ready to learn Microsoft XNA? Got a PS2 and a memory card with lots of space? Here ya go. The RPG Maker series, or RPG Tsukuru as it’s known in Japan, is hugely popular amongst game hobbyists. However, its steep learning curve and low-end graphics have kept it from mainstream success. RPG Maker 2 is no different. It may not be a graphical powerhouse, but those who are willing to put in the time and effort to learn the system will find themselves well rewarded. I can’t sing this game’s praises enough. There is more advanced game creator software available (including scenario and map editors for your favorite PC RTS, FPS, and RPGs), but for beginning developers, you can’t go wrong with this.
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Since its original release in 1996, this game has been remade with a number of different themes and under a number of different names. The most notable of which, Pokemon Puzzle League, features Pokemon characters. Though no matter what cosmetic changes were made, the basic gameplay has remained the same. Although this is named Tetris, the game does not resemble the falling-block classic at all. Instead, you make blocks disappear by swapping them and creating columns and/or rows consisting of three block or more of the same color. Instead of falling down, the blocks slowly rise from the bottom. The Japanese version of the game featured faeries and nymphs, who were replaced by characters from Yoshi’s Island for the American and European releases. This game has a number of gameplay modes, including 2-player VS, endless mode, puzzle mode, and stage clear mode. Puzzle game fans who can look past the excessive cuteness will enjoy the simple yet addictive gameplay. There is no doubt that this will receive a virtual console release in the near future, so if you like puzzle games, then check it out.

Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of real-time strategy games. Mainly I’ve been sticking with the Command and Conquer series, Starcraft, and Warcraft. You can never go wrong with their simple-but-addictive play mechanics, but there are also options available for people who seek something deeper. Total War, Age of Empires, and Empire Earth are a lot more complicated than beginning RTS players are used to, but the historical settings they utilize as their backdrop reward those who have the patience to learn the play mechanics. Microsoft Game Studios/Big Huge Game’s Rise of Nations however, achieves a happy medium between the fast paced and simple mechanics of Starcraft and the world building aspects of Empire Earth.
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