67 - 50 Cent: Bulletproof

Genre: Action
Rating: M
Developer: Genuine Games
Publisher: VU Games
Platform: PS2 (Also: Xbox, PSP)
Release Year: 2005

50 Cent: Bulletproof is an odd game. If there were any way to describe it it would probably be the sort of thing that musical artists 50 Cent dreams about. I don't know how much he contributed to the project, but it definitely seems like a kind of game made to fulfill some wishes.

In the game you're 50 Cent, of course, and are simply living your life out in your hood until one of your homies is gunned down. Except he's not gunned down by a rival game but some sort of super soldier guys. 50 deduces that there's someone more on his tail than usual, assembles his crew, and sets off to destroy all those involved.

Gameplay is probably where 50 Cent: Bulletproof is the worst so many people have probably never even finished it. It's basically a very simple first/third person shooter but very little is thrown in to spice it up. That means you'll be awkwardly firing at hordes of racially stereotyped gangsters. The objectives, too, are a bit difficult to understand at times. You'll get them all posted to your cellphone but from there it's often hard to figure out where the trigger for them is.

If the gameplay is lacking then why would anyone other than an obsessive 50 Cent fan play? As odd as it sounds, the story is probably the best part of it. Although the first few minutes seem dull, after the catalyst of his homie getting killed, things quickly progress into stranger territory. There are some really odd characters in the cast and it was always interesting seeing what they were up to.

I wouldn't recommend the game to most people but there is something about it that kept me playing. Now I've got to get my hands on a copy of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand and see if it improves upon the foundation of Bulletproof.


Would I play again? No. Beat it.

The PS2 Lives On

When I first discovered emulators in high school I absolutely lost my mind. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen and ever since then I've felt really good about all that stuff. It might not be the most legal thing in the world if you're downloading games you don't own but it seems that emulating up NES or Master System games is a harmless activity.

Anyway, recently I was reminded of the PCSX2 emulator. I tried it way back when it first came out and immediately stopped. It was horrible! The compatibility with games was measly and the games that did run were buggy, slow as sloth messes. Shortly after that I deleted the program and quickly wiped it from my mind.

It's been some years since then though so I thought it was time to try again. The emulator is much harder to set up than most. If you can manage it though then it will be revealed that the PCSX2 emulator has finally grown up. Yes, there's still many incompatible games, but there are a great deal more that do work then don't. If you trust their compatibility guide, at least 1668 known games (this includes different regions of the same games) are completely playable. The best thing about the emulator though is that it can make PS2 games look and perform better than they ever could on actual systems.

I've only tried a few games so far but they both run well. I'm giving the emulator its biggest test by playing through Final Fantasy X. There has been one goofy issue though. During boss fights it seems one character in the party will always be facing away from the enemy. Who knows what causes that, but it's silly to see.

Beyond that, I've resumed ripping my PS2 games to an external drive. Initially that project was started to combat the eventual death of my discs. Sure, I might be amazing with disc care, but it's nice to have some peace of mind as well. What makes this useful though is that PCSX2 works best with disc images rather than running through the disc drive. So, if all my games get digitized I'll have quick and easy access to my PS2 library whenever. I can't wait!

65 - Hitman: Blood Money (Steam)

Genre: Stealth
Rating: M
Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: Eidos
Platform: Steam (Also: PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360)
Release Date: 2006

This is the only Hitman game I've spent serious time playing although it was not my first experience with the series. I started off with the first game, Hitman: Codename 47, but found it much too difficult to play. Although generally stealth games are pretty cool, they are often way harder than I can handle. It's one thing to understand how to be quiet and stay out of site but it's another thing to actually be able to carry it out.

So, with my normal inability to play stealth games I ended up really enjoying this game all the same. I think it's due to the fact that in Hitman: Blood Money you don't have to be stealth if you really don't want to. Obviously the game pushes you in that direction but allows most missions to be completed regardless of getting seen by people, killing civilians, or whatever else trouble you might get yourself into. I appreciate this because it means the game is really open to all kinds of play styles and techniques (including my bumbling, Rambo-esque one).

The game has a really strong sense of self. I often found myself just wandering around to listen to characters chatter on or just explore. Everyone has their own routine. It's pretty cool how nicely realized the world is, although it certainly gets very dark at times. As this is a game about a hitman, you're going to be forced to think about the ramifications of your actions - even if Agent 47 himself isn't.

I really, really like this game. Although I'm absolutely horrid at it the game accommodates itself to me and allows me to continue. The world is cool and I want to see it all. Definitely check this game out if you're in need of stealth games.

Black Friday 2011 Haul

Black Friday 2011 has come and gone and I think I made out decently. It wasn't nearly as awesome as last year's haul, but I still managed to grab some stuff so yay. However, my method is a bit different than most people's battle plans on the day. You see, I mostly ignore all the crazy Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, etc deals and just head straight to GameStop. While I actually don't like GS much, they are basically the only purveyor of PS2 games still so that's the place to go.

Thanks to their Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale (it should have been B2G2 on PS2 again, haha) I managed to pick up:

• Area-51 
• Armored Core 3
• Bujingai: The Forsaken City
• Chaos Wars
• Conflict: Global Terror 
• Contra Shattered Soldier
• Eternal Poison
• Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel
• Growlanser: Heritage of War
• Justice League Heroes
• Mega Man X8
• One Piece: Grand Adventure
• Pac-Man Fever
• Rocky Legends
• Ruff Trigger: The Vancore Legacy
• Shadow of Rome
• S.L.A.I. Steel Lancer Arena International
• Street Fighter Alpha Anthology
• Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
• Super Bust-a-Move
• Super Monkey Ball Adventure
• Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
• Ultimate Spider-Man Limited Edition
• War of the Monsters

It was a little unfortunate though because there were 8 games I really was looking forward to at one store but the worker was unable to find each and every one of them. Maybe they really didn't have them all but I'm sure some of it was probably also due to just being tired of having to search out the discs to put in the cases. Ah well, one day I'll get copies of RPG Maker II, Firefighter FD 18 and others. I also saw some rare games on shelves like .hack//Quarantine, Ikaruga, and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes but they were all over $20 which is over the amount I am currently willing to spend on used games.

From the list of things I did get I'm especially happy with my pickups of Eternal Poison, Shadow of Rome, and Ultimate Spider-Man Limited Edition and that all but two games came in complete condition. Shadow of Rome in particular I've been waiting to play again for years after renting it once and falling in love with it. While I'm not a huge comic book fan or anything, the Spider-Man game is notable because I handed over the regular edition case to the cashier. He was the one who instead picked up the Limited Edition box from their little PS2 pre-owned stock and handed it over.

I also picked up a few 360 games too since sometimes I couldn't find enough notable PS2 games to buy from a store. Those games are Bionic Commando, Dark Void, Power Gig: Rise of the Six String, and Velvet Assassin. Beyond that, I also devoted some funds to gift games. Maybe next year I'll try out some online shopping instead though, as it's finally beginning to annoy me to wait in lines with people squeezed all around.

61 - GrimGrimoire (PSN)

Genre: RTS
Rating: E10+
Developer: Vanillaware
Publisher: NIS America
Platform: PSN (PS2)
Release Date: 2007

For some reason I never got around to purchasing or playing GrimGrimoire. Despite being a crazed PS2 fan from 2004 onward I skipped over a lot of gorgeous-looking games (Eternal Poison, Odin Sphere). Why? I think there wasn't enough money going around for me to pick up each and every cool game. So, it was super lucky for me that the game recently came out on PSN. I grabbed a review copy of the title and finally got to experience it. Review can be found here.

First thing that must be mentioned about any Vanillaware game are the graphics. The game looks fantastic. The 2D character portraits appear to be painted and even if they aren't it is extremely pretty. They also "breathe" and emote more interestingly than most do for other games employing the same static character technique. The in-game RTS battle stuff at first looked kind of like a gussied-up Flash game but I got over that. By the time I was halfway through I was totally immersed in strategizing and stopped noticing the slightly lower quality of the monster sprites.

There were some weird things in the game. Like, it may have just been me but there appeared to be some LGBT subtext between certain characters throughout the story. If that really is the case then I'm impressed since it's not pointed at as some odd token thing. It's just there... somewhat. Perhaps I just had my gaydar turned up too high.

Overall I'm sad I missed out on this game when it first came out. It's super fun and a pretty good challenge too. I'm mostly surprised they managed to make a RTS game that doesn't suck on a console. I'm still on the lookout for a physical copy of the game but until then my PSN one will have to do.

Would I play again?: Yes!

Collection Updates - August

So, I've really been slow on picking up PS2 games as of late. I've found myself busy playing over newer games either for reviews or just to stay on top of things. It's funny how writing about games has reinvigorated my interest in the current generation!

There haven't been many sales lately so I've been relegated to picking up PS2 titles at thrift stores. However, I walked into my local GameStop today to find the Buy 2 Get 2 Free sale was back. It's funny because I've seen nothing of that mentioned online so perhaps it is as specific locations only... or will be this way until the games are all gone. When my store still had Xbox games they were on constant B2G2 sale until I suppose the last sports games were thrown out.

Here's the stuff I picked up:

• Armored Core: Nine Breaker
• Army Men RTS
• Dawn of Mana
• Dead or Alive 2
• Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
• Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events
• Rez
• Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven

I'm most proud of my Rez acquisition. I've skipped over buying an English copy on multiple occasions, due to price. Once I found it for $2 but in a generic case so I decided I would keep on waiting. A little over a year later and my waiting has paid off (lol). Of course, the Trance Vibrator that came with the Japanese version still escapes my grasp... 

I'm looking forward to playing Harvest Moon since apparently this version is very different from the normal games. Don't know why I continue to buy Armored Core games though as they're all pretty tough. Either way, this looks like a good haul to me and this weekend I'm going to hit up all the local non-GS stores. Yay!

Amazing PS2 Collection

I've been a member of the PlaystationCollecting forum for a while now. It's a pretty cool place to hang with other, well, PS collecting enthusiasts. I'm not necessarily a fan of everything Sony, but the PS2 is where it's at for me. I'm not 1/4th through collecting every NTSC-US title out there even at 350+ games.

There are few who have come close to or actually completed a PS2 collection for any region. I think there may be two folks that are known out there on the internet. However, here's one guy who I never knew of before. He's even more impressive than anything I could hope to achieve. How's that? Well, every game in his PS2 collection is SEALED.

I can barely believe it. Even if they weren't all sealed that is still one mighty feat. His collection hovers somewhere  in the realm of 1,800. There are still a trickle of PS2 games coming out so it may not be completely "complete" but no doubt these new titles will be instantly picked up.

It's just so damn impressive. Here's the link for anyone interested in reading an interview with him.

Dance Dance Revolution and Me

My entry for that Konami contest

I first played DDR sometime in 2000 at a miniature golf place. The second time I played DDR was in someone's garage (someone I didn't especially like either!). Then I played a version of Konamix in a demo kiosk. Every time I came across the game I knew it was something special and I wanted it in my home. Unfortunately for me, I never had a PS1 and not a PS2 until 4 years after the release. Once I did though, nothing stopped me from playing the hell out of each and every release as they appeared.

I mostly lost interest in playing around 2006 but continued to buy every new release. I still maintain this habit because it's amusing to me to know that I own every US released version of DDR. I recently fell out of this pattern with the newest releases of "DanceDanceRevolution" on PS3 and 360, but those will be coming into my collection soon enough. I must say though I don't like how Konami is so stingy with DLC and how much it costs. Why pay for it when I can play Stepmania or my hacked In The Groove with all the songs?

Anyway, even though I stopped playing in 2006 I still found myself playing from time to time. Whenever I come across DDR in an arcade I must play. I still manage to impress the unsuspecting with a few heavy songs, but honestly, after that I nearly pass out. I'm no longer a teen! It's the culmination of these events and renewed interest in the series that I figured it was time to start playing again. I can't play the hardest songs for more than 2 or 3 rounds now, but that's what playing it again will help. So I'm playing the game for 20 minute bursts (increasing weekly) on the medium difficulty. I'm hoping this'll increase my stamina enough to get back into proper DDR-ing form.

What am I doing this for? Me, basically. There are now official Konami-sponsored DDR competitions now, but they are soulless. Besides, anyone who was once big in the scene really has moved onto other things by now. If I really wanted to I'm pretty sure I could place in regional tourneys, but that's not what I seek. I'm playing to rekindle my relationship with the game and maybe get some exercise in the process.

Let Me Tell You Something

If you ever have the opportunity, you must play Fatal Frame at night. The PS2 game the first of a currently four part series (3 parts have made it to the US). They also happen to be some of the scariest games I've ever played. It might be because I have a huge irrational fear of ghosts in any capacity. Playing in the dark and alone brings you into the game world so well though and so I suggest everyone try it at least once. Surround sound would also help with the horror, but it works quite fine for me without that. 

Please play it in these conditions if the chance ever comes up. For those of you who were scared of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, this is so much more terrifying. Of all the horror games out there, the series is one of the few I've ever jolted in my seat from. Or shouted. Or felt dread over when exploring new rooms. 

That's all I had to say. Regular blogging shall resume later. 

48 - Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu's Dororo (PS2)

Genre: Action adventure
Rating: M
Developer: Paon Corp.
Publisher: Sega
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2004

Blood Will Tell is excellent. I am not familiar with Tezuka Osamu's original Dororo story, but it doesn't impede my enjoyment of the game one bit. When I was younger and Game Crazy still was around I remember going in and seeing the game on a shelf behind the counter. I turned to my mother who had accompanied me and said something about that being "the game where the guy has swords for arms." I didn't end up buying it then, but wish I had instead of Flow: Urban Dance Uprising.

For years I searched around for the game but it no longer appeared anywhere (and the internet is my very last resort). Finally, earlier this year I found it complete at a local game store and picked it right up. The weekend after, I found it again CIB at a GameStop in the mall. It's really weird how this happens, but I'm just glad I own it. I was so happy I bought both copies. This game is honestly worth it to me.

My massive interest and desire in owning the game started years ago when I first demoed it. It was incredibly strange, and upon playing now it still is. The main character is a samurai who, as a child, was split apart by demons. He looks like a complete human being, but he is missing most of his internal organs. For example, his voice is metallic and odd until you beat a demon boss and regain your voice box. It's weird, but neat.

Since this guy is mostly a hollow shell he is able to house all sorts of weapons inside of him. He doesn't have a butt machine gun like Astro Boy, but he does have a missile launcher in his knee. He's also got his signature samurai swords in his arms. The game plays like a classic samurai story just with these really strange twists. I really like it and hope to someday finish it.

Would I play again? Yes!

47 - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (PS2)

Genre: FPS
Rating: M
Developer: Cavia Inc.
Publisher: Bandai
Platform: PS2 (Also: PSP)
Release Date: 2004

Based off the anime of the same name, this is a pretty stylish game. It's buried knee-deep in the trappings of  the series and as such may turn off people completely new to the world. Unfortunately, it also doesn't manage to pull off fun gameplay for anyone.

The voice acting is totally fine. In fact, it's spot on as the characters all have the same voice actors in game and are pretty good. The enemies don't sound all too incredible, but when do they ever? Something very cool about the whole game is that you can sort of hack in to someone's mind and control them for a short period of time. This is especially useful in dispatching confused enemies.

There's also a load of control options and more than one character to control. The characters control a bit like a tank, but it's nothing too terrible. It's just too bad that the game doesn't feel very fun. the levels are all dull and everything you're working toward feels really uneventful. It's too bad because the hacking and other features could have made the game stand out.

Overall... it's a game a super fan might play but beyond that it's so boring. There's also some parts that are super unclear and if they weren't confusing I probably would feel like playing it through just because. What I found especially annoying was while usually you can get blasted full of bullets, one single shot from a sniper rifle would mean instant death every time. The game has a lot of potential but it gets completely squandered from the lack of creativity.

Would I play again? Nah.

46 - Disaster Report (PS2)

Genre: Action adventure
Rating: T
Developer: Irem
Publisher: Agetec Inc.
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2003

You how how you have those games you've been meaning to play forever and just never get around to it? That's what Disaster Report is for me. I tried it out some years ago, enjoyed it, but then stopped and never looked back. Recently I picked it up again though and decided to go for it and I'm glad I did.

The "survival" aspects of the game are very well done. At times, it can be quite hard to figure out how to progress or what to do to avoid impending disasters. It works out well though and there's only a few times it feels unfair. For example, before an aftershock you hear a rumbling noise so you know to brace yourself for impact. That, and maybe get out from under things that might collapse onto you.

There's a need for water to keep you going as well as bandaging yourself up after getting hurt. When near fire or under extreme duress your water meter goes down quicker, which really makes a ton of sense. The only thing not really implemented was where you go the bathroom, which apparently was added into the PSP version. I can't say I'm unhappy it wasn't in the PS2 version, but it would certainly add a new layer to the game.

I died a lot in this game. In fact, I died 31 times. However, the game was just so appealing that I had to see it through to completion. In doing so I found out the game offered something beyond survival which was a strange tale of government corruption. It was more B-movie than anything, but it was still an interesting addition. Overall, I was really happy to have played it and will probably start up Raw Danger soon.

Would I play again? No (I finished it. Not much replayability).

45 - Unison: Rebels of Rhythm & Dance (PS2)

Genre: Rhythm/music
Rating: E
Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2001

Unison is a really odd game. Initially, it seems like a cheap rip off of Bust-A-Move (Groove whatever) and Space Channel 5. Then you start to play and realize that's basically what it is. There's not much fun about the game, although it does have a bit of something that was new to offer at the time.

The characters are all in some sort of disco futuristic anime world. Strangely, it feels like either a game that was made by Americans to try and play itself off as Japanese, or by Japanese in some attempt to appeal to Western sensibilities. As it turns out, it is a legitimately Japanese product, but doesn't feel all too wonderful.

The gameplay is different than most other rhythm games of the time, and honestly only kind of exists now with more modern movement-based dance games. In Unison you watch a character do a dance routine as much as you want and memorize it. Once you have it down, you enter into the actual dance mode and must replicate the exact moves you were shown earlier. This is done by moving the left and right thumbsticks around (kind of like moving the left and right arms).

It's hard. It's such a hard game. It really shouldn't be, but it is and that really let me down. I'm all for a good rhythm game challenge but I prefer it to be about technical skill rather than memorization. I don't know, but it just didn't feel so fun to study up the dancing over and over just to get an A. It's not a very good game and the music isn't all that fantastic either. At least the first song is Y.M.C.A. which is probably the best of the seonglist.

Would I play again? No.

44 - Mister Mosquito (PS2)

Genre: Shooter
Rating: T
Developer: Zoom
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2002

Mister Mosquito is a game I had wanted before I even had a PS2. I saved a magazine advertisement for it and probably still have that somewhere. However, only this year was I able to finally add it to my collection. After all those years the game is still tremendously entertaining. In fact, I'm surprised how well it holds up in terms of comedic value and playability.

In the game you're a mosquito (who would have guessed?). You are set to get your fill of blood thanks to the Yamada family. They're not happy about it though, and do all they can to keep from being your meal. Strangely, a calm female voice narrates your insect life story and tells you about various locations in the house. When you die, she nonchalantly remarks things like "too bad".

The damn game is fantastic. It's supremely Japanese in flavor and the characters have such funny actions and reactions to you. For example, the mother character goes into the laundry room to search for a photo album at one point. As you try to hone in on a good bite spot, she will spontaneously get in a kung fu stance. Why? Why not? It's weird as can be, especially when the act of biting feels like Star Fox. The mosquito will have a rectangular marker pop up on good bite spots and show how close or far you are from it. It's all incredibly strange.

For whatever reason you can also customize the colors for your mosquito. If he were modeled realistically the game would lose some of its silly flair, but he looks like a very cartoony guy. He reminds me a bit of Buck Bumble but instead of being cool he's a complete dork. It's a great time and I can't wait to try it again. In case you're wondering, I died while trying to bite the Yamada's daughter in the bath. I didn't even get to see anything!

Would I play again? Yes!

43 - Mad Maestro! (PS2)

Genre: Rhythm/music
Rating: E
Developer: Desert Productions
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2002

This is one of those games I passed up on innumerable times. Back when I would see games like this and Rhapsody: A Musical Tale on store shelves I was a connoisseur of Dance Dance Revolution. Because of this I was kind of stingy with other rhythm and music titles. Nothing would be as good as DDR, so why even try? That's how I felt for a while anyway before finally latching onto each music game that would come out.

I do kind of regret not getting it sooner, as well as those other musical titles. This one isn't especially difficult or anything, but it's certainly a new idea (conducting). It's really simple to understand how to play too. There are 4 markers on screen and as a ball passes through them you are supposed to hit a button. It doesn't matter which button, you just need to get it in time with the music. Along with that, the markers have one of three colored borders. The varying colors tell you how hard you should press down on the buttons. It's a slightly unusual gameplay mechanic which took surprisingly long to get used to.

Beyond this stuff, the story was really cheesy. The point of the whole thing is that a concert hall is going to be closed so you are tasked to gathering up musicians to play in it and convince people to save it. Once you start interacting with the cast of weird characters you realize it's so very Japanese in style.

I managed to push through all the chapters and get to the finale concert in maybe an hour. However, at that concert I completely failed on every song and couldn't save the concert hall. What amused me though is that when you fail the screen doesn't say Game Over. No, it says "Nooo...." which is really how I felt at that moment.

Would I play again? Nah.

42 - Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (PS2)

Genre: Platformer
Rating: E
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2001

Klonoa is a series of games I've always told myself I'd play but hadn't until today. While even in high school I had prided myself on being a pretty well-rounded gamer, a bunch of stuff was still new to me. Klonoa in particular was a title I had no knowledge of until I made friends with a much younger student. He was so much younger in fact (13 or so) he wasn't quite skilled in the act of more mature conversation, but we could talk about games. I'd let him play with my GBA SP at lunch and we could talk about stuff. He spoke highly of Klonoa and suggested I play it someday. He also bought me Shadow the Hedgehog which isn't a stellar game, but it sure was such a sweet gesture.

Enough reminiscing for now. This really is a pretty great platformer. Unfortunately I don't have all too much experience with platformer games aside from the big names but I almost wish I had more. If they're anything like this one then there is so much being missed out on.

Anyway, the game is really childlike in story, graphics, and gameplay. It almost feels like when I first played Super Mario 64 which is pretty damn wonderful. With all these modern and mature games that everyone plays these days the likes of Klonoa really should have a resurgence. It's just so damn fun to play and perfectly tuned.

After playing this game for a while I really would like to go through and beat it as well as grab the Wii remake.  There's some other games but it seems it might be a bit harder to obtain those. The Wii version is also relatively cheap from what I recall, which is always a good thing.

Would I play again? Yes!

41 - Spy Fiction (PS2)

Genre: Stealth
Rating: M
Developer: Access Games
Publisher: Sammy Studios
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2004

I remember seeing this game for sale at GameStop maybe some months ago before they all started switching to the paper sleeves for cheap PS2 games. It had the case and I looked at it for a while. It looked pretty cool but instead of picking it up I went for some other unknown title. Whatever game it was it wasn't nearly worth the purchase instead. Maybe a month after not buying it I realized the game was directed by SWERY (of Deadly Premonition fame). Dammit. Well, at least I have the disc.

From what I played the game didn't seem amazingly well written. It felt a lot like a B-movie, but there's not necessarily anything wrong with that. Something that was really sweet were the character designs. They might not have been anything incredible but the art style looked pretty cool. It reminds me of some other game, but I can't put a finger on it. Also, the main male character is way too hot for his own good.

In regards to gameplay it's a pretty solid title, if kind of slow. It's stealth but real stealth (not like Metal Gear Solid 3). You won't do to well to run around shooting guys with the wonderfully gimped shooting system. However, there's some really cool ways to hide from enemies. You have a cloaking device that activates when clinging to walls and also the ability to stick to ceilings.

Along with that you can also take pictures of enemies and mask yourself as them. Maybe I'm not playing the right games but I haven't had the ability to do that (to a large number of characters) since Mission Impossible. I think games are just escaping me though, because it can't be possible this mechanic has been that underutilized. So yes, I really did enjoy this despite the gameplay quirks.

Would I play again? Yes!

40 - Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelist of the Roses (PS2)

Genre: Card battle
Rating: E
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2003

Here's something a lot of people don't know about me: I love Yu-Gi-Oh!. The card game is tremendously fun and the original series was pretty entertaining to watch as well. It had at least a little more going on in it than say Pokemon did. This game came out at the height of my interest in the series but at the time I had no PS2. In fact, I'm not even sure when and how this game came into my possession.

This game makes me wonder why they can't ever seem to be content making a literal translation of the card game for home consoles. They make their perfect replica games on handhelds, but never the home systems. For example, Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Falsebound Kingdom is some whacked out strategy RPG. This game is ever so slightly strategic as well, except it's super dumbed down. Really wish the game could have retained the same rules of the card one though instead of trying to teach a new style of play that isn't as fun.

Something really weird about this title is that it pulls from the Wars of the Roses for its story and characters. It just strikes me as really odd that a kid's game would pull out such an unusual story rather than crafting their own. I'm not complaining though, as it makes for an amusing diversion when sitting through story bits.

The game isn't entirely to hard to pick up but it does rely heavily on luck. I guess the card game does as well, but it seems much more strategic than this offering. I kind of want to see how far I can push into the story or if I can indeed beat it. Really though my luck is pretty terrible which seems it will keep me from achieving my goals. I'll try anyway.

Would I play again? Sure (to beat it).

39 - Silpheed: The Lost Planet (PS2)

Genre: Shoot 'em up
Rating: T
Developer: Treasure
Publisher: Working Designs
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2001

Over the last few months I've found myself more and more attracted by shoot 'em up games. My first experience was with the bullet hell anime style stuff going on and that never really appealed to me. However, the more manageable patterns of retro shmups appeals to me.

Picked this game up some months ago before GameStops started selling their cheap PS2 games in paper sleeves. I'm really happy about that because this game has a lovely cover. It looks pretty cool but is also a sort of holographic image, which is extra neat to look at in comparison to most other covers.

Anyway, the game itself has terrible voice acting, but not so much that it becomes funny. Everything just seems so dull and lifeless. The game itself is totally great though. You take control of the ship Silpheed and can choose what kind of guns you want for the vehicle. Beating more levels unlocks more options for this. The only downside is they don't really tell you what each gun does so you just have to jump into battle and test it out.

Another issue I have with the game is after dying if you select continue you start up at the very start of the leve again. Obviously, this is really a staple of most shmups and many retro games in general but I've never liked it. It's much more noob friendly when there are checkpoints throughout a level. Aside from that though it is a solid and pretty game (especially for coming out in 2001).

Would I play again? Sure.

38 - Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights (PS2)

Genre: 3D platformer
Rating: E
Developer: Heavy Iron Studios
Publisher: THQ
Platform: PS2 (Also: GC, Xbox)
Release date: 2002

I've never really liked the show Scooby Doo. I can't put my finger on why but it just seemed too silly. I've been  a fan of horror for a long time but somehow the comedy horror route of the show wouldn't appeal to me. Anyway, the game seems to be a pretty good recreation of the feel of the show. The intro for the game is the same for the show and there is even an in-game laugh track. The laugh track annoyed me for a while before I figured this was just part of making the experience as authentic to the show as possible.

The game itself isn't as bad as you might think. It feels a lot like Jersey Devil on PS1 simply for the fact that a lot of the time the environment is so empty and dark. There's some mystery guy who talks to you occasionally in areas and gives you information, but he's nearly as creepy as the nothingness around you. There's monsters too, but they mostly seem silly (as per usual) so they in fact hinder the scariness of the environment.

As far as the gameplay goes, it's surprisingly solid. I must admit it was also pretty funny to see Scooby do his signature scardeycat run as well as see him carry Shaggy around on two legs. Speaking of which, before playing the game I never realized how much of a stoner Shaggy seems like.

So yeah, the game was actually pretty fun. I never even died! What happened to make me stop was just as I was feeling good about the game I sent Scooby bouncing around the level with his newfound double jump ability. Unfortunately, somehow I managed to make Scooby jump into a tree. Once inside the tree's geometry there was no way back out. It seems I always manage to luck into game-breaking glitches.

Would I play again? Sure (to beat it).