Game Editorial

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach

Genji PS2 Game Review The Soon-to-be Forgotten Realm Dungeons & Dragons used to be synonymous with pen-and-paper role-playing. Then Bioware came along and used the rich source material to make some great PC RPGs - the Baldur's Gate games. But while Bioware's adventures along the Sword Coast were fun and immersive, they didn't really capture the spirit of the original pen-and-paper style. No, Bioware left that task to the amazing Neverwinter Nights. Complete with a smart and intuitive tool set as well as a Dungeon Master client, Neverwinter Nights allowed players to create their very own dungeons and quests, then open them to the online public. Neverwinter Nights is Dungeons & Dragons online. Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, on the other hand, is little more than an anemic group dungeon crawler. In spite of its name, it's not very D & D, and it's even less an MMORPG. The only thing massive is its cost - fifty dollars and a fifteen dollar a month fee ... full review

Fallout 3

GTA: Vice City Stories PSP Game Review Doomsday Done Right Scenarios of a hot, muggy, and otherwise bothersome End Time have been around for as long as civilization has. Inconveniences like killer comets, the rapture, alien invasions, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster dropping a meatball are all as scary as they are impressive to watch, assuming you get to watch from the outside. However, the most simple and likely scenario is that we'll just blow ourselves up. If you're going to believe in any of these, it might as well be the one that buys you the most time. Luckily for us, Fallout lore prophesizes the end of the civilization in a nuclear war between the US and China in the year 2077 -- a time when we'll all be wrinkly enough to welcome the interesting mutations only nuclear bombs can provide. Sweet ... full preview

Final Fantasy XI Online

GTA: Vice City Stories PSP Game Review Once, twice, three times a fantasy. When Microsoft announced at their E3 press conference last year that Final Fantasy XI was coming to the Xbox 360, the crowd roared. GR, however, snored. Not to take anything away from Square's solid MMORPG, but it's a little hard to get excited by a port, especially when it's coming three years after the original. Now that we've spent some time re-exploring this old standby, we feel justified in our initial apathy. Though probably yielding a high ROI, this next-gen port of a last-gen game effectively delivers an already available product sans the accessories required for its full enjoyment ... full review

Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle

GTA: Vice City Stories PSP Game Review I see you use an old style. I wonder where you ported it from The original Lineage managed to become the most popular MMORPG on the planet thanks largely to its loyal swarms of Korean and Chinese players. While Ultima Online and Everquest were wearing U.S. Standard Issue Diapers, Lineage was smoking a Korean cigar in its Chinese penthouse. Not to be outdone by its more famous U.S. exports, the sequel, Lineage II, has been tweaked to make it a bit more exciting for American gamers, though much of its gameplay approach is the same in order to please its Asian fan base. As the constant battle between muscle and wealth continues, Lineage II will make you switch from being The Level Gainer to The Economic Analyst and back, both of which are simultaneously humdrum and oddly addicting ... full review

Lost Magic

Genji PS2 Game Review Badly Drawn Boy The DS stylus lends itself to dirty habits. For example, while trying to plan a move in Ubisoft's new RPG / RTS elixir, Lost Magic, you might stick it in your ear or pick your teeth with it; hopefully not in that order. Unlike most DS games, though, Lost Magic makes more of the stylus than a Q-Tip or a tooth pick, even if some terrible flaws make it about as much fun to play with as earwax. The plot has something to do with a jaded but strangely sexy sage who has taken it upon herself to obliterate humanity, leaving the world to deal with monsters. She executes her diabolical plan by taking control over Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water, and it's your job to reclaim them as you press onward to save the world from her clutches. Go you ... full review

Phantasy Star Universe

Genji PS2 Game Review The Little Bang It's commonly accepted that the Universe is huge and pretty damn complex. It's also widely believed that our species is tiny and pretty damn dumb. So when comparing the inner workings of the Universe with humanity's stress over which size latte to buy, it's no wonder these relative terms stick like truths. Rather than let such basic thoughts use up my cranial RAM, I simply file them in the "Glad" folder, as in I'm glad we're small enough to be under the radar. If the Universe knew what we were up to with our lattes and iced Chais, it would crush us like bugs. But we haven't gotten hit with a cosmic flyswatter yet, so Nature graciously continues to allow us our daily grind, ever convincing ourselves that there's some greater purpose to what we're doing ... full review

Titan Quest

GTA: Vice City Stories PSP Game Review Atlas Shrugged Nothing sucks the air out of a brilliant game like its inevitable clone backdraft, and nowhere is that more evident than in the case of Blizzard's Diablo. Nox, Restricted Area and Sacred pleasantly plagiarized in the past, while more recent games like Dungeon Siege and even the Champions of Norrath series gussy it up enough to almost feel like new experiences. Regardless of their success, though, they've all borne the weight of their demonic ancestor upon narrow shoulders. And now, the techie torch has been passed to THQ and Iron Lore, who have dubbed it Titan Quest. While this latest mob farmfest heralds seamless multiplayer, interesting character-class blending and a world editor of epic proportions, its gameplay falls short of hitting the addictive hack-and-loot formula of its impressive forbear ... full review

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

GTA: Vice City Stories PSP Game Review The Gods Must Be Lazy Owning a PSP has been an exercise in prolonged buyer's remorse. No matter how many useless Carrot Top skins, fanny packs, or "portable" home theater kits they cram on shelves, the damn thing is just too short on long games. Proving that a million timid voices clamoring in unison can occasionally be heard, Sony has finally started dotting their PSP library with RPGs. The latest, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, is a fairly straightforward port of a six-year old PS1 game, not exactly the kind of thing that gives us newfound respect for our dusty PSP. Still, it's an interesting, engaging game that at least stops the RPG withdrawal shakes ... full review

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria

GTA: Vice City Stories PSP Game Review Not Her Best Side Most look at crazy people with pitying eyes, quietly saying to themselves, "Dear me, look at that poor thing... coating himself in butter." Others believe they should be studied, cared for, or otherwise handled with some level of political correctness. But we believe crazies exist for one, sole purpose - entertainment. Just look at this, this here, or that over there then say you're not waiting for sequels. Well, after the first Valkyrie Profile (recently rehashed as Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth) we've been looking forward to one, largely due to some weird liberties it took that separated it from the norm. What's wacky is that, this time around, the designers decided that many of the original's quirky-yet-cool traits should be repressed for, we assume, bigger market appeal. The result is Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, a more conventional RPG highlighted by fewer noteworthy features or, in other words, a game that's entertaining, but not as good as it could have been ... full review

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

GTA: Vice City Stories PSP Game Review The Gods Must be Metal With the weight of a copy of Wrath of the Lich King in hand comparable to that of The One Ring, we all know basically what we're in for: sleepless nights, coffee, aggro girlfriends, porn, a lonely Thanksgiving, cheetos... Our instincts do not fail us, for WotLK is more of the same game we've loved, gotten sick of, appreciated once again, and learned to moderate in consumption. But before we continue, the "No Duh" disclaimer: If you have had your fill of zombie STD's, weed price-gouging, and makeshift arena teams, this review is more than likely a redundant read; so thanks for the click and get back to levelling, noob! But for those who haven't fallen off the wagon just yet, this expansion is a good reason to give Addiction a call and make amends ... full review

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