And then, tomorrow, you can be on the look out of what games and items each of us are asking for this holiday season. Enjoy!

Nintendo DS

Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
Rating: E for Everyone
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $33.99
Release Date: September 14th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
A brand new story featuring our favorite plumbers and their nemesis bowser.  This time, you get the option of two different story lines, one feature Bowser, and one focused on the microbe sized plumbers and their princess. ~Cherith & Netzach

Professor Layton & Diabolical Box
Rating: E for Everyone
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $28.82
Release Date: August 24th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Gaming Angels Review
Professor Layton and Luke are back with another wonderful puzzle filled tale. When the Professor’s mentor is found dead in his apartment, the pair finds themselves in pursuit of an infamous treasure and the mystery surrounding it. ~Yukino

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Rating: E for Everyone
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $29.82
Release Date: October 12th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
The latest installment in the Pokemon series, Explorers of Sky lets you play as one of 19 different Pokemon. There is a fairly good amount of reading in Pokemon titles, so if your child struggles with reading, this is not the game for them. ~Yukino

Scribblenauts
Rating: Everyone 10+
Developer: Warner Bros.
Price: $27.99
Release Date: September 15th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Scribblenauts is an adorable game that’s fun for all ages. It’s got a bunch of challenges and the ways they can be solved are limited only by your imagination, so even after you beat them, it’ll be different every time you go back. ~Cherith & Netzach

Nostalgia
Rating: Everyone 10+
Developer: Ignition
Price: $33.99
Release Date: October 27th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
This is an amazing little RPG from Ignition. It’s got a great story, combat system and entertaining characters. It’s reminiscent of Skies of Arcadia, but now on the DS with a fun soundtrack and AIRSHIPS! You can’t go wrong with this for RPG fans. ~Cherith & Trina

Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $27.99
Release Date: September 15th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Following the storyline of the popular anime series and showcasing the grown up, new look of Naruto and his friends, this 3D fighting game will test players’ ninja skills through head-to-head matches on their quest to save what’s most important to them: their friendships. ~Yukino

Sushi Academy
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: City Interactive
Price: $19.99
Release Date: November 2nd, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Japanophiles in particular will enjoy this game that follows a similar sort of formula as the Cooking Mama series – except it’s sushi of all different types. You’ll be amazed at how many different sushi dishes are available, and amused at the reactions your sushi sensei has upon completing your chosen dish. Definitely a lot of fun – Japanophile or not. ~Naomi

Nintendo Wii

Squeeballs Party
Rating: E +10
Developer: PDP Gaming
Price: $19.99
Release Date: October 15th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
See Cherith’s Review here
This game can’t really be talked up more than it already was in my review. But, even if you’re not picking it up for yourself, it’ll be a great addition to the collection of the avid Wii gamer on your list. ~Cherith

New Super Mario Bros Wii
Rating: E for Everyone
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $46.99
Release Date: November 15, 2009
GA Amazon Link
A throwback to the original Mario Bros style, you can now play with up to 4 people with the newest Super Mario adventure for the Wii. Work together to complete the level, while battling each other for most points or coins collected.

NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer
Rating: E for Everyone
Developer: Lightening Fish
Price:
Release Date: September 18th, 2009 (EU)
See more at the NewU website
If you are already using your Wii to get fit by using either Wii Fit or EA Sports Active, then here’s another one to add to your collection. It includes exercise plans for those who don’t exercise at all, to exercise plans for those who regularly love to feel the burn. And in addition to that, it also has a whole heap of recipes (with instructions) and can create a weekly meal plan as well as sorting out your shopping list for you! Brilliant! (Not currently available in the US. ~Naomi

Beatles Rock Band
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: EA
Price: $239.00 ($49.96 Game Only)
Release Date: September 9th, 2009
GA Amazon Link or here (game only)
This is great, even for people that don’t think they know Beatles songs, playing through the story mode of Beatles Rock Band gives you an amazing look at their history and you’ll probably recognize more songs than you think. The title has also had strong DLC which will keep you playing. ~Trina

Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: Ignition
Price: $46.99
Release Date: September 8th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Check out Stealthyslyth’s review
Beautiful animation and a good soundtrack make it such an interesting and beautiful game, I caught myself staring at the scenery quite a bit and enjoying the music before moving on to a new area. At points it even felt as if I was playing inside of a painting. RPGs and/or side scrolling game fans will highly enjoy this game! ~Stealthyslyth

Playstation 3

Beatles Rock Band
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: EA
Price: $239.00 ($49.96 Game Only)
Release Date: September 9th, 2009
GA Amazon Link or here (game only)
Take a trip back in time with the entire family with Beatles: Rock Band. Play as the Fab Four, rocking out in some of their most memorable stages with classic songs. All new Harmonies mode for up to three vocalists brings even more fun to the party. ~Yukino

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: Tecmo
Price: $56.99
Release Date: September 29th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Gaming Angels Review
Defend your family’s honor as Ryu Hayabusa in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. The Spider Ninja Clan has plans to allow the Underworld the chance to be free on earth. Updated from the 360 version, NGS2 has higher video resolution, a new look for Ayane, and new boss battles. ~Yukino

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Eidos
Price: $52.99
Release Date: August 25th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Gaming Angels Review
One of the best comic book based video games ever made, Batman: Arkham Asylum is an original story in the Batman universe. When the Dark Knight easily captures The Joker, it seems he has been lured into an elaborate trap. ~Yukino & Stealthyslyth

Playstation Portable (PSP)

Undead Knights
Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Tecmo
Price: $39.99
Release Date: September 29th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Gaming Angels Review
Control zombie minions as you seek revenge against the king for your wrongful murder. Undead Knights features customizable characters, an awesome metal soundtrack, and catchy pick up and play gaming. ~Yukino

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Atlus
Price: $36.99
Release Date: September 22nd, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Remake of the original PS1 title, with updated graphics for the PSP, Persona is a unique role playing game, using social networking to create new “Personas”, beings who aid our high school heroes fight against the demons that are invading the city. ~Yukino

Xbox 360

Beatles Rock Band
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: EA
Price: $239.00 ($49.96 Game Only)
Release Date: September 9th, 2009
GA Amazon Link or here (game only)
Gaming Angels Review
Take a trip back in time with the entire family with Beatles: Rock Band. Play as the Fab Four, rocking out in some of their most memorable stages with classic songs. All new Harmonies mode for up to three vocalists brings even more fun to the party. ~Yukino

Magna Carta 2
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: Namco
Price: $56.99
Release Date: October 13th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Stripped of her crown and throne by an evil usurper, Princess Rzephillda plans to regain her rightful place and is accompanied by Juto, a boy who does not remember his past but could be the key to ending the war. This RPG boasts over 40 hours of gameplay, stunning cinematics and blends real time and turn based elements during battles. ~Yukino

Borderlands
Rating: M for Mature
Developer: 2K Games
Price: $39.00
Release Date: October 20th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Borderlands is an interesting game mixing an action and shooter style. It’s got a fun cooperative game play and a lot of new and cool gear. Also, this is one of the great new games in the RPG-FPS genre. ~Stealthyslyth

Brutal Legend
Rating: M for Mature
Developer: EA
Price: $44.00
Release Date: October 13th, 2009
GA Amazon Link
See RachelZoe’s review here!
Brutal Legend is a fun game with a great soundtrack for all the metal heads out there. The storyline is great and the various references that you’ll find in the game are awesome. ~Stealthyslyth & RachelZoe

Dragon Age: Origins
Rating: M for Mature
Developer: EA/Bioware
Price: $44.00
Release Date: November 3rd, 2009
GA Amazon Link
Bioware has done it again with this great RPG title. The story is engaging, the controls are easy to pick up and fans of Mass Effect or Fable II are going to be in for a treat with this game. And for a stocking stuffer – you can grab the prequel novel too!~Cherith & Netzach

PC

The Sims 3
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: EA
Price: $39.99
Release Date: June 2nd, 2009
GA Amazon Link
000000; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;">Read Cherith’s review
The Sims is always a good time if you’re into it. The new installation in The Sims franchise did not disappoint this summer, and has just recently released the first expansion: World Adventures. Definitely a must for Sims fans! ~Cherith & Stealthyslyth

Aion
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: NCSoft
Price: $46.99
Release Date: September 22nd, 2009
GA Amazon Link
A brand new fantasy world full of strange  inhabitants, creative enemies, and lots of secrets. Aion has an innovative  PvPvE system new to MMOs by combining both PvP and PvE gameplay. Good for MMO fans looking for something new.  ~Cherith & Stealthyslyth

Torchlight
Rating: Unrated
Developer: Runic Games
Price: $19.99
Release Date: October 27th, 2009
Grab it from the Torchlight site
This is an innovative new Action RPG in the same vein as Diablo, but with a bit of a Warcraft feel.  It’s cheap, it’s got great game play, with a straightforward play style that’s easy to pick up and put down whenever you want. ~Cherith & RachelZoe

Rating: 7.5
Rent

From the hand-painted look of the towns to the expressiveness of the character models, the art direction helps to give Valkyrie Profile 2: Tales of Silmeria a palpable atmosphere, an atmosphere steeped in Norse mythology and influenced by Medieval/Renaissance architecture and fashion. Valkyrie Profile 2: Tales of Silmeriatruly demonstrates Square-Enix’s graphical prowess, as the graphics are nothing short of eye-poppingly gorgeous. It is strange though, that while the graphics of the towns are full of variation and detailed as can be, the graphics in the dungeons are monotonous and more plain (in comparison). Though the graphics of the dungeons are still pretty, they show the same types of scenery over and over again. As the gamer spends most of the time in the dungeons (as opposed to in towns), the non-descript environments do get a bit annoying.

However, even when the environments within the dungeons become boring, both the music and the game-play keep the game exciting. The music, full of both subtle melodies and more exciting fare, also helps to set the mood. The score is wonderful and there isn’t one annoying song to be heard (for most games, that’s a miracle in and of itself!) Even the battle music doesn’t make me want to put in ear plugs, for which I am fully willing to give this game accolades.

The devotion and time that went into creating the sound-track also shows in the game-play, as well. Valkyrie Profile 2: Tales of Silmeria takes place in a 2-D scrolling environment, full of towns, side-quests, fields, and dungeons. In the towns, the player can buy various weapons and accessories to equip their character with, as well as the usual healing potions and restorative items. The tricky (and fun) part of the game lies in how the player allocates their accessories on the characters. Each accessory has a “sign” on it (such as slashing, healing, etc.) a sign that shows up when it is put in one of the characters’ many accessory slots. Combining these different signs creates new skills for the character to learn.

Once the signs are arranged to create a new skill, the player must fight battles, gaining enough AP to learn the skill. It’s a very novel idea, but unfortunately, also involves a lot of trial and error. It’s not an outrageous trial of patience, but nevertheless, the gamer definitely will spend a good portion of time on the menu screen, randomly trying out accessories to get new skills. Unfortunately, not all the skills are worth the gamer’s time. Some skills have effects that are completely worthless. Yet, there is no way to really know this unless you have extensive knowledge of what is ahead in the game (or read a strategy guide). This is silly and unfair-another word-to those who want to play through the game without a guide. There are a few great skills, but far more mediocre or just plain bad skills. Valkyrie Profile 2: Tales of Silmeria would provide a much more even (and enjoyable) experience if it had made the skills more even in terms of worth.

However, battles entice the player to keep with the game, in spite of the uneven skill system. The battles are the best thing about Valkyrie Profile 2: Tales of Silmeria, hands down. They are as unique as the skill system, but unlike the skill system, they are also balanced. During the battles, the player maneuvers the characters across the environment either with the control stick or alternatively, makes the characters dash with the help of the R1 button. The gamer can have up to four characters in a battle at a time. These characters, though, can be split up into factions if the gamer desires. This allows for more complicated strategy. Once the characters are separated, they can gang up on different enemies or even surround one enemy. For all they dash across the screen, the characters are in constant danger from getting in the range of an enemy’s attack (which will be indicated by a colored radius on the ground). When the characters are close enough to damage the enemy, as shown by a colored radius, the play presses the x, triangle, circle, and square buttons that correspond to each character to pull of their attacks. When the buttons are pressed just right, they create chains. The longer the chains are, the more damage will be done.

For all I’ve described about the battle system, I could still go into an even more detailed analysis. There is simply so much to it. It’s a bit overwhelming at first (definitely get ready to have your characters die, at least a few times), but after awhile, it gets to feel very natural. In addition to the battles, the puzzle element helps to keep the player�s mind (unless they happen to be reviewing the game!) off of the unvaried dungeon environment.

The puzzles, some tough, others not so hard, are all very cleverly designed. The main character, Alicia, possesses the ability to freeze enemies on screen with a press of the square button. While these enemies remain frozen, Alicia can do one of two things; First, she can jump on top of the enemies to reach higher ledges; secondly, she can press square at the frozen enemy again and switch places with them. Utilizing Alicia’s special ability allows the player to reach different chests and special items.

Another key puzzle feature is the use of diases, springs, and sealstones. These sealstones can be carried outside battle, in order to give the effects of the sealstone to the player’s characters and they can be put in a dias, in order to give the effects of the sealstone to both the player and enemies alike. The sealstones can also be restored at springs, which then means they show up at other springs, in every other dungeon in the game.

Last of all, the gamer can also find new einherjar (undead warriors who you can recruit to Alicia’s cause) in many of the dungeons. There are many different einherjar to find, and since oftentimes, you randomly get one of three, there are many einherjar that the player will not get the first time through the game. I suppose this is supposed to inspire multiple play-throughs, but honestly, many of the einherjar are pretty generic, with a few exceptions. Still, it is great to be able to pick and choose from so many characters, and this feature of Valkyrie Profile 2: Tales of Silmeria fondly reminded me of the Suikoden series.

For all the customization system can feel like maneuvering the same chess pieces to try and create the leaning tower of Pisa, the battle system manages to get everything right. In the end, the creative battle system, the beautiful melodies, and the engrossing plot make this game a great RPG to play. If you like your RPGS more hardcore, that is. Valkyrie Profile 2: Tales of Silmeria still has its faults, though, and they do hurt the experience somewhat. Those that want a simple, easy, and straightforward RPG might want to look elsewhere.

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Rating : RoboJam: 9.0 Buzz Quiz games: 7.5

Can you out Buzz your friends?

Sony Computer Entertainment has released a series of Buzz titles that focus on multiplayer fun. Sony sent us three games to review, Buzz! The Mega Quiz, Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz and Buzz Junior Robo Jam. The Buzz series originally began in the UK. Buzz Mega Quiz was one of the first in the series to be released in North America but it was already the fourth game in the series.
Buzz! The Mega Quiz has over 5,000 questions and is an overall trivia game. Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz is focused on LaLa land, and Buzz Junior Robo Jam is a set of mini-games meant for kids of all ages.
The Buzz games are quite popular in the UK, but do they stand up the trip across the pond?

Graphics:
In all three versions, the graphics are quite simple. That is not to say it looks bad. For a Playstation 2 game that is focused on trivia, quite a lot of time was spent on developing the various characters you can play. The most unique characters are in Buzz Hollywood. Depending on how you answer the question, your avatar will react in true stereotype fashion.

Controls:
The controller is quite interesting. You can either buy each game separately or buy them with a package of four controllers. The controller has a big red button on it, and then four rectangular buttons. The controller is extremely responsive. I was rather pleased to find that the controller was not overly sensitive which is to be a major complaint of mine with game peripherals. The Buzz Buzzers are also very comfortable to hold on to and play on. I never felt like I was stretching my hand too far to reach particular buttons. Again, very well thought out. When I was playing the Robo Jam, I found it easier on some mini-games to turn the remote sideways. This did not affect the ability for the game to pick up what I was pressing and actually made it easier for me to get to the various colors in a quick fashion.

Sounds:
Both Buzz Robo Jam and Buzz Hollywood have some normal quiz show sounds. Sounds aren’t really a major part of the game. The voices in Buzz Mega Quiz really bugged me though. Most characters had heavy English accents that I just couldn’t get past. The characters’ voices are much better in Buzz Hollywood.

Flow:
All three games have a very quick moving game flow. You never feel like things are moving too slow, or that you are stuck. The only thing I found was the single player in the trivia games were absent of excitement because you were not able to play against CPU players. When you play Robo Jam, you can play against CPU robots.

Fun Factor:
Buzz Hollywood is really tough. If you think you know Hollywood trivia you need to try this. To me though, Buzz Robo Jam is the gem of the group. Yes, it’s mini-games. But it’s done well. All the games are fun and interesting. The robots have a cute sense of humor and are hilarious to watch. Buzz Robo Jam is a must for any family with young kids. There are rhythm games, pillow fights, bug blasts, and basket Eye-ball. What’s not to love?

Female Factor:
The robots all seem non-gendered to me. But in the trivia games your avatar can be female. In the Hollywood trivia game, you have a choice amongst different female stereotypes; all of which are funny and done well.

Replay Value:
All three games have plenty of replay value. The trivia games have over 5,000 questions, so it will take you awhile to work through all of them. Once again, Buzz Robo Jam is my top pick for the Buzz game to get if you can only get one.

Final Thoughts:
I love trivia games for consoles. They are great for bringing in non-gamers or people at a gaming party. Robo Jam is great for the whole family to play together and is in my top favorites for mini-game genre.

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Rating: 2.0

Spyhunter: No Where to Run, No Where to Hide from this Game

I heard that there was a new Spyhunter game coming out, and it was supposed to be in conjunction with a Spyhunter movie starring The Rock. WOW! YAY! I love Spyhunter! Until I brought it home and played it. Now I want to sue the game creators for the price of this game plus pain and suffering. Each sequential Spyhunter seems to be worse than the last one, and this game is certainly an overachiever. This game has enough suck for another 10 releases.

Graphics:
The opening cinematics are so beautiful- especially of the Interceptor vehicle- that it makes the in-game graphics disappointing. However they are decent for a PS2. Too bad they didn’t put some of that effort into making a game that wasn’t torture to play.

Controls:
This is the first Spyhunter game that actually ventures on foot. It is this which is the main downfall of the game. While the vehicle modes had bad controls, the person controls just about made me throw the controller against the wall. I honestly can’t say which is worse: the fact that the controls are muddy or that the moves are so incredibly specific that you can’t possibly fudge them. I’d say it’s a matter of luck (not skill) whether anything would work in this game, but NO ONE has luck good enough to play this game. The media is blaming the wrong video games for violence; blame games that suck this much I’m inclined to strangle someone with the controller wire…preferably whoever is responsible for letting this game exist.

Sound:
Though unimpressive, they didn’t completely suck. But honestly at this point who cares?

Flow:
If this game had flow, I didn’t find it. The story was choppy, the missions were unclear so the game screeched to a halt constantly, and whatever was left was buggy. In the second mission of the game I was just about screaming. You- along with the Interceptor- have been captured and taken onto a barge. You need to enter the hanger and find a way into the rest of the ship. You need to place explosive charges around the ship, while coordinating with another agent in order to keep the Interceptor out of enemy hands. It took me about two hours to get past the “enter the hanger” part, and not because it’s a lengthy scenario. After entering the hanger the door locks behind you, and a sequence is triggered in which an enemy is pacing back and forth on the other side of a few rows of supplies. If he sees you (guaranteed if you place a charge), you have to kill him. Another enemy immediately enters through a one-way automatic door. After killing about 50 enemies and searching the room for non-existent other options, I restarted the game. I searched all of the ship that I could reach before the hanger and found nothing. I went back to my red-shirt massacre, and my boyfriend and I traded turns to see if either of us could figure it out. At about kill 200, suddenly there was a dialogue box that instructed us to do a specific sequence of punches and suddenly we could advance through the automatic door. This kind of buggy crap is common in the game. Clearly the punch instructions were meant to be seen long ago.

Fun Factor:
The first few minutes of the game were pretty fun because you were still in a vehicle. The second you step out of the car every ounce of fun is sucked out of this game. Please don’t buy this game, there is a chance you’ll do harm to your PS2 in your mad rush to remove and destroy the disc.

Is there a female playable character:
Seriously, in the first walking scene, why didn’t the scientist woman pick up the gun? Here I am, about to be attacked by a squad of enemies and the gun is laying at her feet. Clearly in this game, the princess does not save herself or anyone else.

Replay Value:
This game doesn’t even have “finish” value, let alone replay value. It’s not a playable game, due to the bugs. I don’t even know if it would have been fun even without them.

The controls were terrible, the flow was choppy, the missions were confusing and the bugs made the game unplayable. This game had the air of a game that was pushed out before it was ready. Since the movie itself disappeared in a cloud of failure, perhaps they released the game before it could get cancelled? I really wish that had been the case, I wasted $40 on this piece of crap. Boo-urns!

Rating: 7.0

What do you get when you mix Final Fantasy with Kingdom Hearts? No it’s not another SquareEnix crossover it’s Rogue Galaxy. Rogue Galaxy combines action RPG gameplay like that of Kingdom Hearts with a menu system like that of which you’d see in a turn-based RPG like Final Fantasy. Not to mention they threw in some characters that look like characters from both franchises. All in all Rogue Galaxy is a rich adventure game that will have you playing for hours.

You play as Jaster Rogue, a young man who is tired of living on the desert planet of Rosa (after a while you will encounter his friends). One day beasts decide to attack the normally peaceful planet. It is during one of these battles that Jaster meets up with the legendary hunter Desert Claw who gives Jaster his sword. Simon and Steve from the pirate ship the Dorgenark mistake Jaster for Desert Claw and in
a weird turn of events Jaster is recruited on the space adventure of his life.

Graphics:
One thing is for sure the graphics in this game are interesting. The way the game mixes cell-shaded characters with 3D rendered backgrounds is, in fact, visually pleasing.
Graphics score: 9/10

Controls:
The semi-turn-based action control scheme is very confusing if not overwhelming. There are three characters to control in battle and they each have a menu at the bottom of the screen. At this point the player can choose from the character’s available equipment, items, and abilities among other things. So if controlling up to three characters at the same time and concentrating on staying alive isn’t enough there is also a battle suggestion system which is helpful sometimes but most often is not. This system is activated by using the shoulder buttons when they appear or pressing L3 to ignore them when it is crucial to save your items. Also, because there is no healing magic in this game at all restoration items will be very important.
There are chain attacks which are where the player presses the buttons as they appear at the bottom of the screen. It takes a while to get the timing right and it is even worse trying to get perfect. That in itself is frustrating.
All in all with its confusion and hard learning curve. The controls are what makes the game and once they are figured out the game is that much more fun.
Controls score: 5/10

Flow:
The flow of the game is actually one of the best things about the game. Free from the linear gameplay of most RPG’s the player is free to do what he or she wants. Sure there’s a main story but who cares about that? The player can choose to follow the main story or go buy all the outfits in the worlds, or battle insectors, or treasure hunt, whatever. The possibilities are endless. The only problem with the game flow is that most of the levels are structured the same way, a bunch of seemingly endless tunnels until there’s a boss battle in the end. Other than that the way the game flows is quite nice.
Flow score: 9/10

Fun Factor:
Every game has its frustrating moments and this game is certainly not without them. Sometimes you just want to turn the game off and never play it again. But that’s life. The game is made so that you would never want to do that because there will always be something calling it to you again. Is it fun? Of course it’s fun to those who like a challenge and can pass on every level looking the same. If you don’t like that kind of stuff then the game will be as much fun as being in a desert with no water.
Fun score: 7/10

Female Aspect:
Let’s face it. The female factor in this game is virtually non-existent. There is only one strong female character (Lilika) out of two and she’s half dressed. The other, Kisala, is Dogengoa’s daughter and she usually has the worse weapons and you spend most your time protecting her in battle. There is even this one point where you go to the planet Vedan and talk to a guard and he says “Even women need to be strong to survive in this town.” What on Earth is that supposed to mean? Anyway it’s full of stereotypes about women most of them negative. And this score shall reflect that negativity.
Female Factor score: 2/10

Replay Value:
The way I reviewed this game would make you think that the game doesn’t have great replay value, but actually it does. The game is just too large to do in one go. There are so many more chests to unlock, outfits to wear, weapons to fuse and insectors to battle, among other things that makes this game worth replaying.
Replay Score: 8/10

Vainya’s comments: Wait until this game hits the bargain bin before you buy it. It’s not humanly bad enough to skip but with its slow dialogue during cut-scenes, the annoying voiceovers during traveling from your crew and the sameness of the levels it’s not a must have. However if you are a fan of action-RPG’s or a fan of RPG’s in general this game is definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 8.0

Lego Star Wars II The Original Trilogy

Lego Star Wars II is the follow up to the very successful Lego Star Wars, which covered episodes I-III. This game allows you (or you and a companion) to play as the various characters from the original trilogy, including Luke, Han, and Leia. Graphics and gameplay are both fairly simple, but it is a blast to play! I hate to use this word but…..this game is just so CUTE. For one thing, everything is made of Lego parts. And comedy is rampant in gameplay. Just have Chewbacca put on a Storm Trooper helmet and try not to smile. This game is truly as funny as it is fun to play.

Gameplay:
There are three modes of gameplay to choose from: Story mode (single player), Free play, and Co-op mode. A second player can drop into or out of the game at any time during story mode. During story mode, you generally have a party of two or more characters. At different times you may have to switch between active characters to accomplish a certain task. Co-op mode makes this a little easier since you don’t have to keep switching back and forth. It can get a little annoying, since the two active characters can’t stray too far from one another. A little practice makes perfect though, and co-op can be a lot of fun.

Graphics:
There is nothing complex about the graphics. The game is visually interesting, with every element made up of brightly colored Lego pieces. Every planet, character, and vehicle are represented with a fun Lego twist.

Sound:
Sound effects are great. From the woosh of a light saber, to R2-D2′s beeps and chirps, no sound is overlooked. The music and sounds are just like the movies

Flow:
This game flows really well in story mode. Each level uncovers a little bit more of the story, just like in the movies. Gameplay is fairly simple and it’s easy to figure out your next move. Easy enough for a novice to pick up, but fun and challenging enough to keep any gamer interested.

Fun Factor:
If there is one word that sums this game up…it is FUN.

Female aspect:
Princess Leia, of course! Her character is very prominent in gameplay.

Replay Value:
Lego Star Wars II has excellent replayability. Once you have finished story mode, and unlocked the other characters, you can revisit areas throughout the story that you were not able to access the first time around. With freeplay mode, you can access different levels of the game any time you feel like having some Lego smashing fun.

Check out the second opinion review (for the Xbox 360) by Typhoid!

Rating: 9.0

The God of War series has given us a crash course in basic Greek Mythology and learning about it has never been more fun. In the recently released sequel to the popular 2005 title, God of War 2 puts us again in the sandals of Kratos, a hardcore demigod that violently swings chains and blades. Kratos is an unstoppable epitome of vengeance that not even death can keep down. After killing Ares and becoming the new God of War, Kratos sits atop Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. With his newfound powers, he becomes an even more ruthless killing machine, ordering his Spartan army to conquer cities and joining them in their battles. This wrath angers the gods, especially Athena who pleads with Kratos to remove his soldiers from Rhodes. After refusing, he stomps away and drops down onto earth to join in the bloodshed. Athena sends down a bird that absorbs Kratos’ powers and gives them to a nearby Colossus statue. Kratos loses most of his powers and is no longer a god. Once you are in control of his character, you whip through a few soldiers until you get to your first boss, the Colossus. Throughout your battle with the gigantic statue, Zeus offers his assistance, suggesting you take up the Blade of Olympus. Once you finally get your hands on the sword, it absorbs what is left of your powers, ending in Zeus killing Kratos and sending him to Hades. It does not end there, of course, because that wouldn’t be much of a game. Gaia, one of the Titans that lost to the gods during the previous Great War, rescues Kratos and instructs him to seek out the Sisters of Fate, who can turn back the hands of time and restore him to the point where Zeus betrayed him. There begins our raging journey, to acquire new powers from the remaining Titans and reach Mount Olympus so we can defeat Zeus.

Graphics:
The graphics in this sequel are excellent and a perfect close-out to last-gen. Every environment differs from the one before it; truly giving the impression that Kratos is journeying to the ends of the earth to change his fate. As brutal as Kratos is when attacking his enemies, the sight of his blades swinging are a beauty. The designs of the bosses are spectacular, as well as the fights with them. Like the last game, every time a circle appears above an enemy’s head, we get the chance to unleash an incredible attack on them by tapping the random buttons that appear on the screen. These motions put you in awe by their appearance and give you a rush of triumph. Upon its completion, orbs of all types (used to refill health, magic, rage or upgrade weapons) reward us.

Controls:
The controls are simple and Kratos is easy to maneuver through hordes of enemies, the sky and fiery pits of lava. The fighting mechanics of this game are similar to the first and based on linking combos so button mashing cannot save you. Your primary weapon, Athena’s Blades, is multipurpose and allows Kratos to climb walls, attack, swing on grapple points and whip horses. Controlling Kratos also involves timing, especially in areas where he must use his chains and swing from point to point or risk death.

Flow:
This game manages to keep up a suspenseful and quick pace, giving you the only chance to rest during save points and puzzles. There are almost no loading times to give you that second to breathe between intense fights.

The puzzles in this game are plenty and usually involve turning a crank, moving stone blocks or even using corpses. None are too difficult to figure out, and usually just involve the player to use their common sense or the power of observation.

Fun Factor:
For those who enjoy games that are particularly brutal through physical attacks and pay no mind to extreme bloodshed, this is will be a joyride. This story of vengeance is simple yet intriguing. As the player, you feel compelled to take Kratos through his journey to destroy Zeus for his betrayal.

Female Aspect:
There are instances in the game that focus on female sexuality and power. All the nudity stems from the female body. The women the player meets range from Titan, to monster, to goddess, to mortal bathing in a pool. For those sensitive to situations that portray women as sexual objects, the God of War series may not be for them.

Replay Value:
Throughout the game, there are hidden chests and urns, which grant you abilities such as infinite magic your second play through. There are also different costumes to unlock such as the Cod of War (a fish costume) and Athena (it would be great to play through as a goddess). These unlockables give the game replay value and encourage the player to attempt to beat it on the hardest difficulty, Titan mode.

This second installment of the series brought back everything we loved from the first one and added a few morsels of goodness to sweeten the deal. The ending leaves us anticipating a third God of War, which, if [it lives] up to the standards of its predecessors is sure to be a blast.

Rating: 10.0

Are you ready to rock?

Are you ready to rock? Again? The second release in this game series goes above and beyond our expectations of the first game. This time, you can tool around with a friend in three different modes giving people the chance to play the Lead, Rhythm or Bass guitar parts of a song.

The song list gets a whole lot more metal this time around, going with songs by Suicidal Tendencies or Lamb of God. There are the few exceptions to the hardcore like songs by the Police or Stray Cats, but they don’t rock any less.

Game play changes a little this time around, the techniques required to play are a bit easier to control, however the songs themselves are decidedly more difficult.

The best thing about this sequel however is the Store. In the first game you made money in Career mode but everything you unlocked for one level of difficulty had to be unlocked again as you moved up. In GH2, your money just piles up and so do the things you can unlock. There are a lot more songs and guitars this time around to spend your money on, as well as two new characters [that can be unlocked].

Graphics:
The graphics haven’t changed much from the first game to the second; however there are some differences in the artwork and presentation this time around.

Controls:
You can opt to buy the game without the controller this time, if you’ve already got one. If you do choose to buy the whole package, the new guitar is lighter and a bit smaller than the first one. You could also shell out for the Guitar Mania wireless flying V – if you’re into that sort of thing.

Sound:
Rockin’! And why wouldn’t it be?

Flow:
I think one of the things that made me laugh the hardest this time around is the small cut scenes as you change concert venues. As for the songs themselves, they’re not always in the order I’d expect them to be by difficulty, so you may have a hard time with one song (Woman by Wolfmother perhaps?) but have no trouble rocking out on the next five.

Fun Factor:
No question this game is fun. Even if you’re not a fan of contemporary rhythm games, make an exception and try this one out. It’s a great party game too!

Is there a female playable character:
There are two. Judy Nails and Pandora.

Replay Value:
The best thing is that it’s a game you can pick up, play a few songs and put back down and still feel like you’ve gotten a little gaming done without wasting half your day. Besides there’s always something left to unlock it seems.

Side note: This is Trina and I’d like to add that this game does rock. It’s a great party game. The songs can be a bit long, but what helps in Guitar hero II is the ability to play co-op or against one another. It will be very interesting when this is released for the 360 when people start competiting online against each other.

Rating: 9.75

Bully is a game about a teenager named Jimmy who is in a rough patch of life. He is bounced around from one private school to another until he reaches a school not just populated by scum but also staffed by it: Bullworth Academy. He is sickened by the hierarchy of the school, based on bullying and social clicks. He decides that he would try to become the leader of the kids to free them from the stench of cruelty and fear that otherwise prevailed. He doesn’t want the school to continue to pump out professional dirtbags as has been tradition. However along the way he is in danger of becoming as power hungry and corrupted as those he seeks to overthrow. Like Grand Theft Auto (some little-known Rockstar game), Bully is a free-roaming game with missions that you pick up to make money, further the plot or just to have fun. I refer to Jimmy as Bobby Hill for two reasons. One, he bears an eerie physical similarity to the King of the Hill son. Two, a lot has been said about this game’s subject matter and how Jimmy is supposed to be dangerous to the well-being of video gaming kids. However his antics are truly at the low level of a (slightly more) deranged Bobby Hill.

Graphics:
It’s about as good as you can get with a PS2. It’s not bad, I just expected more. Perhaps I’ve been playing too much Dead Rising lately and anything else just isn’t as pretty. The environments are extensive but only significantly vary from neighborhood to neighborhood- not so much house to house. This makes it really important to use your map and to pay strict attention to specific landmarks because it will take you a while to learn your way around. As you progress throughout the game, you earn item fillers for you room. For instance I have a thong tacked to my wall for stealing girls’ underwear from their dorm (that “tradition” is one of the most sexually involved in the game, beat out by taking pictures of a girl in the shower which graphically shows you nothing but steam). Your room is pretty sparse to begin with, but by the end of the game it’s packed with trophies and souvenirs (see Figure 1). The insane variety of clothing is boggling; Jimmy can be anything from a Green Ninja to Elvis. It actually gets in the way because as you are trying to pick out an outfit you have to scroll between about a hundred items to find what you want. Who really needs five Aquaberry sweaters and ten different pairs of brown shoes?

Controls:
It depends on what you want to control. The on-foot controls are great, but the vehicle controls are hard to master. Speed complicates the issue. For instance to walk you push the analog stick forward. To run you hold down X, to run faster you tap X. That works pretty well, however the vehicles are more problematic. You have to tap X to pedal or skateboard, and you have to do it with the right timing in order to be really effective. Steering the bike, scooter and skateboard is difficult enough that you should get used to crashing. Weapons are another story. The aiming is precise, as long as you get used to targeting your opponent first. Don’t be frustrated in the beginning, because you earn power-up which improve your aim and fighting ability. Also note that on some weapons the longer you hold the targeting button the stronger your attack will be. The slingshot becomes a decent weapon when you lock on to your target for a while first.

Sound:
Not particularly catchy, but you won’t be turning the sound off out of annoyance. It is interesting that they made all of the background music similar. There is different specific music for walking, skateboarding, biking, go-kart riding, etc… but they are all musically related. I think the intent was to make the game more interconnected, but it ended up making the soundtrack a little monotonous. The sound effects in the game were pretty nice, though fairly sparse. Everything sounds pretty much as it should.

Flow:
The designed flow is terrific. The sections of the game are separated into chapters, which reflect the school semester and the season that it takes place in. A little tip: when Jimmy gets his Halloween costume make note that you are no longer being timed. Take the opportunity to explore, smash pumpkins, break grave stones and generally acclimate yourself to the game.
However there is a terrible disruption to the flow: loading time. There is about 30 seconds of loading time in-between each scene. The load time is so problematic that when Jimmy is trying on clothing there is about a 4 second delay between each item. When you are trying to buy clothes or figure out what you want to wear (Tattoos! Angst boots! Mohawk!), it takes about as much time as it would in real life. However it’s impressive that the game itself only crashed once in the entire game, though many times it took around 2 minutes to load a scene.

Fun Factor:
I want to say that it’s not as fun as GTA. However that’s not really fair, this isn’t supposed to be GTA. It tells the story that it’s supposed to, and it’s very fun and well done. However it does make a few references to GTA. When I escorted an elderly woman to her apartment, she called me “Tommy,” then “Jimmy” and said that she gets them confused. I can’t but think that was a veiled reference to people comparing the games as Tommy was the name of GTA’s main character. Make no mistake, these are VERY different games. If Bully were to be compared with GTA, it’s like comparing the movie Platoon to the TV show M.A.S.H. Sure they’re similar in some ways in origin but their execution is extremely different.
There are many levels of gameplay. First there are the assigned tasks, marked as yellow stars on your map. These are the missions that you must complete in order to further the plot. Then there are the helping missions, marked as blue x’s. These missions are favors for random people- anything from laying flowers on an elderly lady’s dead husband’s grave to taking photos of vandalism to the police. Then there are the money missions, marked as green $’s on the map. Those vary from delivering newspapers to mowing lawns. Also there are races, which are shown as yellow trophies on the map. Most of the races are for bikes, though there are also go-kart races. There is also a carnival which has games you can play for prizes (including a scooter), which I recommend you hit hard when one of your power-ups gives you the ability to earn 2x the normal amount of tickets if you haven’t already won all the prizes. My favorite game aspect was the schooling itself, marked as orange (and later grey) bells. Your school classes are mini-games that you pass in order to level up and get neat things. For instance shop class nets you a bike, and photography class gives you a camera. I aced Chemistry, Math and everything else, but could not pass Art class. It was modeled after the old-school game Qix, and my Studio Arts Minor whimpered as I took several semesters to pass Art. Even the annoying dodgeball Gym class wasn’t as torturous. Ever remember finding a video game within a video game, then your heart broke when you discovered it was just background scenery and wasn’t playable? Suffer no more! One of the coolest things about this game is that it has playable stand-up videogames that you can just walk up to and play. That’s right, there are video games you can play within Bully and as a coin-operated game it costs you in-game money to play. There’s a monkey poo-flinging game, a couple of racing games, and a half dozen others. Naturally, I didn’t
stop until I conquered them all. However I will warn that they are very difficult, and at some times monotonous.

Is there a female playable character:
From the moment the game starts I was unhappy. Jimmy is being dropped off by his shallow mother and her rich, nasty new husband. He is met at the front of the school by the headmaster’s secretary, who goes off about how great he is and how she would do anything for him because he’s a man. Before you even get any gameplay you’re met with two terrible female stereotypes. Women were, for the most part, ignored. I was really upset by the fact that girls were left out of certain specific activities. For instance on Halloween every male was in costume, and there were Jack-o-Lanterns in all over campus. However the girls weren’t in costume and there were no pumpkins in or outside of the girls’ dorm. I may have seen one girl in a prom dress, but that’s it. What does this mean? Does Rockstar think women only dress in skanky clothing on Halloween and didn’t want the game’s rating to go to Mature? Do they think Halloween is just for boys? Did they just forget because they believe girls don’t matter? Did they not want the gamer to confuse the girls and boys in costume and try to hit a girl? Hitting a girl in this game seems to be akin to burying your mother alive in your flower garden. The INSTANT you hit or shove a girl (or a young child) the prefects or police tackle you. If you hit another boy you’ll probably get away with it, as long as you don’t raise your alert meter too high. I don’t know about anyone else but when I was that age I got the CRAP beat out of me on a regular basis and no one came running. I’m wondering if Rockstar didn’t want to get any more negative publicity for people to whine that “you can hit girls! How inhumane!” For the girls that did get some screen time, it was deplorable. Females were either treated as nymphos (art teacher), skanks that play their sexuality against guys to mess with them (biker girlfriend), suck up puppy dogs (headmaster’s secretary), or mentally unstable girls who hissyfit at the drop of a hat (most of the girls). It wasn’t until the end of the game that I saw a female that didn’t disgust me (Zoe) and she was kicked out of school for not having an affair with one of the teachers. Great. To me it seemed that Rockstar either wanted to avoid controversy by just keeping girls at arm’s length, or they just seriously need to get some female friends so that they see women are people too. As with GTA, you can get health boosts from girls. However since this is a game aimed at younger folks, it’s kissing instead of sex. Also you can kiss certain boys this time for nearly the same effect. However you generally need to offer some sort of gift like flowers or chocolate first (Figure 3).

Replay Value:
Zero to none. The story isn’t involved or interesting enough to repeat. While the end of the game “Endless Summer” mode might be inviting enough to wander around, chances are at this point you’re only doing it to find the few hidden packages (rubber bands, etc) that you may have missed in the course of the game. However since most of the rewards for item gathering/smashing are just new pieces of clothing, you might not care to even do that. The main reason for this game having a very poor replay value is that it is a story that is based on possible- though unlikely- happenings. It’s not something that you live a vicarious life though, or use for venting. It’s just a story, and once it’s been told you’re probably done with it.
The obnoxious loading times, the low replay value and the ridiculous portrayal of women just makes Bully lose that winning edge. It’s a great game, but I couldn’t allow myself to wave it by with a 10.

Video gamers like to live out fantasies that we can’t do in real life. Who knew I wanted to be retarded?

Bully is such a bad influence! We must ban this game before kids start escorting elderly women across busy streets and safely home! (Mind you, I still love my Mohawk and tattoos).

It is true that in this game you are able to kiss certain boys for health, just like you can for girls.