Square Enix’s Compilation of Final Fantasy VII games were either ill received or too difficult for me to acquire. Thus, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was my first FFVII spin-off. And having played through it: it is by far the only spin-off that matters. This is a game for its fans and full enjoyment requires that you have played Final Fantasy VII first despite Crisis Core being the prequel. I am a fan of Final Fantasy VII, but don’t misconstrue that as high praise for it. It may be one of the most beloved RPGs of all time by many, but I found its prequel to be more enjoyable. And before you send your hate laced e-mails, allow me to elaborate.

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I realize this “review” is late. Part of it is due to laziness, but the other half is wading through the content Super Smash Brothers Brawl offers. The Smash Brothers series isn’t completely foreign to me; I’ve played every single one of them at limited amounts of time. I’ve always given the series respect for being a good party game, but as a fighter not so much. I simply never understood the depth or the intricacies. What makes Brawl so special, though? Is it the copious amounts of Nintendo content? No. I took me awhile to realize it, but like most successful Nintendo games, Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a game with several layers of depth.

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The Nintendo DS is a haven for variety and quirkiness. Many games found on this handheld console just would not work on other consoles – no arguments. One such game is Level 5’s Professor Layton and the Curious Village, the first of three puzzle oriented games under the Professor Layton name. Professor Layton utilizes the point and click adventure system, but instead of trying to find obscure ornaments to solve illogical puzzles, you are roaming through the village of St. Mystere seeking out puzzles, clues and mysteries - I think of it as an interactive book of puzzles. The question is: ‘How does an “interactive book of puzzles” translate into game?’ and most importantly, ‘Is it a good game?’. I thought it was a great game.

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It hasn’t been very long since God of War 2 arrived for the PlayStation 2, but here we are, 12 months later with another epic anger filled adventure with our pale friend, Kratos. Developed by the talented folks at Ready at Dawn, this PlayStation Portable title hopes to capture what we all love in God of War and cram it into a handheld. Was the task too much for them? No, I’m very pleased to say they succeeded. And more.

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Since Tokyo Game Show 2006 and the explosion of Devil May Cry 4 media, I’ve been keeping Capcom’s demon slaying action game in the back of mind. While it may be the fourth installment in the franchise, Devil May Cry 4 served as my second foray into Dante’s world. Having played and loved Devil May Cry 3, I had high hopes for Devil May Cry 4. I wanted it to be bigger, badder and basically be Devil May Cry 3 in high definition. In many ways they delivered, but I believe they may have taken my request too literally as well.

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LTTP or late to the party pieces are opportunities for us to catch up and write about games we missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.

I toiled with VanillaWare’s Odin Sphere quite some time. It’s one of those games which I was skeptical of despite glowing reviews. Let me cut to the chase: Odin Sphere is not a good game. It’s a border line “okay” game with a handful of painful flaws. I picked up the game months after its North American release through a Boxing Day deal, but even then I don’t believe it’s worth the $29.99 CAD price tag. Well enough with the intro; let’s get down to it. (more…)

How do you squeeze a music rhythm game into the real-time tactics game? Ask PaRappa the Rapper developer, Interlink/Pyramid, who created the lovable Patapon for the PlayStation Portable. Patapon treads uncharted territory and does so with unwavering resolve, but do the quirky visuals and unorthodox fusion of genres yield a game worth playing? A resounding: “Yes!”

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Remember Megarace? That was the last futuristic arcade racer I actually sat down and played. After many years of neglect and missed opportunities, I finally got my hands on another game of its kin: Sony and Studio Liverpool’s Wipeout Pulse for the PlayStation Portable. Obviously, the series has been around for awhile since there have been seven installments prior to Wipeout Pulse. However, since I am a relative virgin to the Wipeout series, my views on the latest iteration should be as genuine as they come. What did I like, love or hate about Wipeout Pulse? It’s all here for you, folks.

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LTTP or late to the party pieces are opportunities for us to catch up and write about games we missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.

I am no stranger to the Tomb Raider and Lara Croft phenomenon. Lara’s debut in 1996 with the original Tomb Raider for the PC, PlayStation and the Sega Saturn sent shockwaves throughout the gaming industry. At the time I was stuck in the limbo of being a PC gamer without the necessary hardware to play the game. I also lacked a PlayStation and thus Tomb Raider’s revolutionary visuals and gameplay were a stranger to me. The Tomb Raider-esque experience would remain a mystery me until late November of 2007 with the release of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

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During my holiday break, I got my hands on BioWare’s brand new science-fiction role playing game, Mass Effect. With Mass Effect, I sought to fulfill the fantasy of commanding a starship like Picard of the Enterprise or Adama of the Galactica. Mass Effect, in many ways, exceeded my expectations and allowed me to not only command a starship, but to also play the role of an interstellar diplomat, an explorer, and a hero of the galaxy. As wonderful as it may seem, my experience was marred by Mass Effect’s numerous technical and gameplay faults. What were these faults, you ask? Were they really that bad? Read on.

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