If this game had been released over here, it would have been known as Secret of Mana 2. However translation problems, as well as the decreasing support for the Super Nintendo, kept this game from being released over here. However, I have it on good authority that an English translation may be floating around on the net. Because I don’t want the game companies coming down on us, that’s all I’ll say.

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Ever since Symphony of the Night, the Castlevania series has taken a heavy inspiration from Nintendo’s Metroid, particularly the portable entries. Even though they are all cut from similar cloth, the exploration-heavy format manages to keep itself fresh throughout each entry. The first DS entry in the series is no different. Springing from the events in 2003’s Aria of Sorrow, the game stars Soma Cruz, who must take down a cult out to resurrect Dracula. Once again players make use of the soul stealing system, which allows them to gain new attacks by stealing them from enemies. After beating a boss, players must quickly draw a arcane symbol in order to seal its power. If this isn’t done in time, then players must battle the enemy again. While this mechanic seems added in as an afterthought, it’s a fairly decent application of the DS’s touch screen capabilities. By now Castlevania fans will have made their way through this game’s sequel, Portrait of Ruin, so this review is dedicated to newer Castlevania players. This game is another solid entry in a solid franchise, but I long for the day when the series brings back the level-based format of the previous games.

Don’t forget to check after the jump for more information on minimates and lots of additional pictures of other properties with the minimate license!
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One of the most enduring subgenres of gaming is the Strategy-RPG, or SRPG as I’ll refer to it for the purposes of this write-up. Combining turn-based RPG conventions with grib-based strategy, these games are like a marriage of chess, Command and conquer, and Final Fantasy. From Shining Force on the Sega genesis to Final Fantasy Tatics, this subset of RPGS are easy to pick up and play, yet difficult to master. This week’s $20 GOTY and lost classics will take a look at two entries in this genre.

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While Civil War’s main titles take the month off, the peripheral tie-ins chug on dilligently, making sure we don’t forget the big-important-event still exists.

This week, Young Avengers & Runaways #2 is a decent read, warranting a B-/C-. Super bonus points earned for bringing in the fantastic Marvel Boy. Sweetness. And Cable & Deadpool #31 kind of… just… exists I guess, getting a C-/D. Find out why after the jump, and impress everyone at the watercooler tomorrow with your geekery.

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Silent Hill is the only franchise worthy to stand alongside Resident Evil in the survival horror genre.  Some fans may say that is surprasses it in terms of storyline and scares.  In 2004, Konami decided to go in a different direction  for the series’ most recent entry.  You play as Harry Townsend, a resident of an apartment building who finds himself mysteriously trapped inside the room.  With no means to communicate to the outside, the situation is turning worse for him, until he discovers a mysterious portal in his bathroom, which leads directly into the bizzare alternate world of Silent Hill. 

The gameplay is different from pervious Silent Hill entries.  For starters, your room serves as a hub by which you use to explore the different worlds of Silent Hill.  This is the only place in the game you are able to save, and you reach here via special holes that are scattered throughout the various worlds.  You explore the room via a first-person interface, and for a while, it can be used as a safe haven to recover your energy.  Also, this game is more combat oriented than the other games in the series, as you have a power meter that you can use to inflict more damage on an opponent.  You have a limited inventory, so now item management is a must.  Items can be stored in your room, and this actually becomes a basis for some of the game’s puzzles.  Although it can get fustrating (especially in the second half of the game) with unkillable ghost enemies and a partner you are forced to protect, this is a refreshing change of pace for the series.  One can hope that Konami would explore the possibilities of a first person Silent Hill game in the future.

Who the hell said that I was restricted to just this generation?  Beside, you can play this on your PS2/PS3 if that counts, and seeing as how there is a massive resurgence of intrest in it (Advent Children dvd, release of new sequels and prequel games fot it), now would be a good time to take a look at the original.

I can almost hear the peanut gallery of Nintendo fanboys now up in arms about the franchise’s move to Playstation.  Heck, until I got my Playstation, I was one of them.  I even wrote a letter to squaresoft explaining my anger.  At the time I was dead set on getting the Nintendo 64, and Squaresoft’s decision to develop for Playstation felt like utter betrayal to me.  However, it became apparent that the N64 wasn’t really worth spending dough on (at least until WCW/NWO revenge was released in 98).  encouraged by my friends who had made the jump to Sony, and lured by games such as Disruptor, Legacy of Kain, and Tekken 2, I decided to make the jump to Sony.  Ironic then that this object of my anger would be one of the main reasons  behind my abandoment of Nintendo.

No matter how you may have felt about it at the time, or how you feel about it now, this was a major turning point for the Final Fantasy series, role playing games, or perhaps gaming in general.  RPGs have always been big on storyline and character development, but until FF7 was released, the graphics had been (with a few notable exceptions such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 3/6) lacking the eye candy to compete with the Mortal Kombats, Donkey Kong Countries, and the FX chip games, thereby condemning them to a niche audience.  FF7 changed all that, involving beautifully rendered CGI cinema scenes along with animated polygonial graphics so that the storyline could be illustrated better than ever.

The storyline wasn’t bad either.  Involving love and heartbreak, evil corporations, conflict between magic and science, and one of the most sinister video game villians ever (Sepiroth), the storyline is a major example of how to properly break away from the norms of RPG storytelling, and still remains a classic to this day.  It set the basis for the more serious style of art in later entries of the series such as VIII and X.

We previously reported on a contest being held by Activision for the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Basically the contest gave anyone the chance to the voice of a hero in the game. For the guys, Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s alter ego. For the ladies, Jean Grey, the telepathic mainstay of the X-Men. Casting has closed for the voice of Bruce Banner, but tryouts for Jean Grey remain open. Meanwhile, a new character is now open for tryouts for the men, Namor the Sub-mariner.

Grand Prize winners will win a trip to Los Angeles to record their dialogue and meet the producers of the game, and receive an X-Box 360, a copy of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance the game, a pack of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance playing cards, and a poster signed by Stan “The Man” Lee!

Submit your auditions soon because entries end July 23, 2006. For the official contest page with full entry details and rules, along with information on Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, head to: www.MarvelUltimateAlliance.com.