If you’re unfamiliar with the game Culdcept, you’ve probably never set foot in Japan. Culdcept is to Japan as Magic: The Gathering is to North America. The game has been a collectible card game in Japan since 1997, but in all those years, it has never made the journey across the Pacific. There have also been quite a number of video game iterations in Japan, but North America hasn’t seen a single one. Until now. The Japanese version of Culdcept has received success on nearly every console in the Japanese market, from … [Read more...]
Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
Spread across books, films and videogames, there is no denying the power or popularity of the "Harry Potter" franchise. Young and old, and on both sides of the Atlantic, the fictional young wizard has fans galore. Other characters in Harry's world have garnered interest, of course, but the one thing that's nearly as popular as the boy wonder isn't a character at all, but an event: Quidditch. After reading about it, seeing it played on the big screen and then getting a brief taste of it in Chamber of Secrets, I wondered … [Read more...]
Mysterious Journey 2
If you remember the original Mysterious Journey, chances are you’re cringing at the sheer mention of the title. The original game was highly difficult, had a storyline so bad that it killed any of its fun adventure aspects and featured such subpar graphics that nothing could end up saving the game from mediocrity. Of course, if you remember that game, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that Mysterious Journey 2 has come a very long way and offers a pretty decent puzzle-solving experience. You are dropped into the … [Read more...]
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2
Dragonball Z as a series is nearly as popular as Pokemon, neither of which I’ve come to understand, but personal preferences aside, it’s undeniable that Japanese anime has a history of crossing over into gaming territory. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 is the latest entry in the tradition, and Atari has followed the DBZ model to full effect. In Budokai 2, Dragon Ball Z’s legendary hero, Goku, is given the aid of fellow Dragon Ball Warriors as he fights to save Earth from invading aliens. Yes, it’s a story mode only anime … [Read more...]
Arx Fatalis
After the release of Morrowind GOTY Edition and Star Wars KOTOR, 2003 must have seemed like heaven for Xbox RPG addicts who'd so far been starved for RPG action on the big black and green console. Well now there’s another way to feed the addiction with Dreamcatcher's release of Arx Fatalis. That’s not to say that Arx is better than either of the aforementioned RPGs, however, as it's not, but it more than holds its own and will surely develop its own little fan club. Arx has, however, been ported over brilliantly from … [Read more...]
Contract J.A.C.K.
Contract J.A.C.K. (Just Another Contract Killer) is Vivendi’s stand-alone expansion to the acclaimed hit No One Lives Forever 2, and it’s the third chapter in the NOLF series. It’s no secret that NOLF has quite a large and loyal fan base, and that’s for good reason. The games are fun, have style to spare and are predicated on everyone’s favorite gameplay model: blow stuff up. In Contract J.A.C.K. you take the roll of John Jack, the world’s most over-worked professional killer. John Jack is a gun for hire, and he doesn’t … [Read more...]
I-Ninja
Ahh, another ninja game, they seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days. From Ninja Gaiden to Shinobi, it seems we can’t get enough of the acrobatic "men in black." Now enter I-Ninja from Namco. At first glance, I-Ninja appears to be a simple little third-person action/platform game designed for young kids. But after a bit of time with it, you’ll find that while it does appeal to younger players, it offers a lot of variety for gamers of all ages. In I-Ninja, you play as the aptly (and so creatively) named … [Read more...]
SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs
When Zipper Interactive unleashed SOCOM: US Navy SEALs on unsuspecting PS2 gamers just about a year ago, it was a smash title that made everyone stand up and take the PlayStation 2 Online service seriously. Xbox Live might have had the feature set, but Sony had SOCOM, and that was all it took to send gamers running to stores to pick up the nigh impossible to find PS2 Online adapter to play SOCOM online. Unfortunately for Sony, all this squad-based tactical online goodness was quickly spoiled by a flood of cheats making … [Read more...]
XIII
I’ll admit that I’m a huge fan of first-person-shooters. I will also admit that I was never a big fan of cel shaded graphics until I played a little game called Zelda: the Wind Waker that is. From my many wonderful hours with Zelda, I learned that cel shading could be used to produce some spectacular and amazing visuals that may not be possible using the standard "more realistic" graphics. While XIII may not be in the same league as Zelda in the graphics department, it does ooze with a style that fits the game to a tee. … [Read more...]
Battlestar Galactica
Remember when you were a kid and the awe you felt when you saw the incredible special effects as the Cylon Raiders duked it out with Colonial Vipers in the TV series Battlestar Galactica? Remember walking around mumbling "By your command, Imperious Leader" all the time? If you do, then you’ll be glad to hear that Vivendi’s latest game, Battlestar Galactica, brings back all the glory of the old sci-fi series! If you were a fan of the original series (not the watered-down Sci-Fi channel miniseries), you’re going to love … [Read more...]
