66 - Enchanted Arms (360)

Genre: SRPG
Rating: T
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: 360 (Also: PS3)
Release Date: 2006

I'm not really sure what spurred me to play Enchanted Arms but it led to a really great day of gaming. Usually I don't find myself playing games for more than an hour at a time. For one, there's other business to attend to. The much larger problem though tends to be that I just can't remain interested for that long with nay game anymore. Every once in a while something grabs hold and won't let go (like, say, Corpse Party) but otherwise even the most "addictive" games are passed over by me.

So it was definitely really strange when this RPG managed to hook me in for a great deal of hours on my first time playing it. The game isn't honestly all that great though. The graphics have definitely been surpased by now and the voice acting in particular is awful. You can switch between the English and Japanese voices and, unless you need a laugh, stick with Japanese. I just left it at default English voices because it made the otherwise same-y story have more life.

The game itself is basically a turn-based SRPG. What makes this more interesting is that you've got "golems" to create. These golems are basically like Pokemon or anything else because one big point of the game is to catch them all and train them well. They gain new abilities and all that jazz just like other members in your party do. It's rather fun.

What makes this game probably so awesome to me is that it adds in a lot of features that modern RPGs should have. For one, it allows the option to save anywhere. Why is this still not the case in every game? Just keep players from being able to save mid-battle or something and then it should be fine. Secondly, the game lets you put battles on auto and even speed up the proceedings with the push of a button. I wish more games allowed you to fast forward through the repetitive bits. These were pretty much necessary additions though as random battles happen a lot.

For all the good stuff I have to say about it, Enchanted Arms failed me at about 7 or 8 hours in. It's around this point that the game finally takes on JRPG tactics of old and requires copious amounts of grinding because all enemies have suddenly become insanely strong. I don't like grinding in any games and I wish this didn't have to be a part of the genre. So, I've put it aside for now and don't expect to touch it anytime soon. Still, for a fan of the genre it would probably be worth trying out to see what it does right.

Would I play again? No.

64 - Vanguard Bandits (PSN)

Genre: SRPG
Rating: T
Developer: Human Entertainment
Publisher: Working Designs/MonkeyPaw Games
Platform: PSN (Also: PS1)
Release Date: 2011 (1998 original)

I love strategy RPGs. I've never really been a huge fan of western or JRPGs but SRPGs or RTS games I tend to adore. I'm not sure what it is about them but they're definitely a great area of games for me. Despite that, I rarely go off in search of them. I stick with what I know and it all seems to serve well enough.

Vanguard Bandits came onto the PSN last week with little attention. It seems PSOne Classics only tend to get attention when they're Final Fantasy or another hugely famous RPG. There's nothing wrong with that really but not many seem to know what this game is. Either way, I'm glad I got the chance to play through it because it is a phenomenal game.

Basically you've got your typical story going on about a young man who must save his country from being taken over by an evil empire. Although it takes place in a castles and knights kind of time they happen to have lots of mechs. The mechs are of course used for fighting because that's just so much cooler than knights with swords duking it out.

The game is really deeply strategic. While it's not hard to grasp the main concepts of battle being able to play the game skillfully is tough work. While the game doesn't have sidequests or anything it does have multiple story paths to go through. The replay value is definitely there and I appreciate it. With each of the 20 main missions taking about 30 minutes or more too this is one intense game, although maybe not the best fit for quick bursts of play. I really dig the game and find it a whole lot of fun even if it's a bit dated now (only graphically speaking). I could easily see the gameplay mechanics transplanted onto a 360 or PS3 game and people would love it. 

Would I play again? Yes!

60 - El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3)

Genre: Action adventure
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: Ignition Entertainment
Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Platform: PS3 (Also: 360)
Release Date: 2011

El Shaddai is a game I hoped I would really enjoy. The screenshots looked stunning and it just seemed to be a game forging its own path. As it turns out, the game certainly is different from everything else coming out these days. However, that doesn't make it good.

Basically I really don't like the game because the main "game" portion is devoted to fighting enemies. There isn't a very large variety between then and the fighting mechanics themselves are extremely dull. Apparently you can switch weapons to gain a tactical advantage over enemies but the game never tells you what works best against what. The game barely tells you ANYTHING. While I'm sure some will be pleased the game doesn't hold their hand I wasn't. I'm playing on "easy" so I expect things to be, well, easy!

Even when I think I figured out the best tactic it ends up not working at the next encounter. Either I'm continuously doing something wrong or there are slight variances between the 5 or so enemy types. The game is kinda cool in that if you mash buttons right when you die then you don't lose. However, sometimes it's hard to tell if you're "dying" or not so you don't know to start pressing them.

As for the story I couldn't even tell you what's going on beyond the very basest plot that was established at the start. Characters babble on and say important-sounding things but they mean nothing to me. It's such a shame the game is so incomprehensible and dull. If you're interested in the game though be sure to play the demo as it gives you a sample of the gameplay stylings.

Would I play again? Yes (to finish it).

58 - Champions Online: Free for All

Genre: MMO
Rating: T
Developer: Cryptic Studios
Publisher: Atari
Platform: PC
Release Date: 2009

Champions Online came out a few years ago as a subscription MMO. I signed up straight away because it looked awesome but of course wouldn't subscribe. Superheros are something I find really cool and I did enjoy my brief stint with City of Heroes/Villains. I'd play Champions Online whenever they had free weekends which happened every once in a while. I didn't really like it though any of those times. Despite this, I decided to give it another go now that it is free.

I still don't really like it but some people probably would. It's a very simple game with a WoW-ish control interface. It has the bar of spells/attacks to cast and lots of boring old quests. Lots of hammering away at enemies and then returning to your quest-giver for a prize. It's all very dull business.

The biggest plus about the game is that it allows you to create your own superhero and in quite a lot of depth. There isn't so much depth to creating the body itself, but the costume has many, many options. I spent a great deal of time in there creating the best characters I could. The free version only has 3 or so character slots though. Interestingly, my old character is now a "gold" character. I guess it's due to me using him when the game was still subscription so I'm assuming I have extra features when using him. Haven't looked into it yet.

Anyway, the character creator is great fun. You can select what type of discipline you'd like your hero to focus on (firearms, melee, various superhero things). Unfortunately, the in-game characters don't look nearly as great as they do in the creator but that's to be expected. I don't really like the game but if you're really crazy about superheros and repetition you might find it worth your while.

PS: Here's my guy:

55 - Phantom Dust (Xbox)

Genre: Sci-fi, shooter
Rating: T
Developer: MS Studios Japan
Publisher: Majesco Games
Platform: Xbox
Release Date: 2005

Phantom Dust is one hell of a game. For some reason, it never seemed to get much traffic on the Xbox, but it should have.  It was a friend who first turned me on to the game by talking about how wild a multiplayer experience it offered. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to play it online and now can't unless I use some sort of Xbox VPN.

Anyways, the game is sort of like Fallout in a way. You're in an underground world because you and your people can no longer venture onto the surface (it's not safe!). Of course, being the main character you do venture out and when you do there's lots of fights to be had with enemies. It plays a lot like an episode of Dragonball Z, honestly, and that's pretty cool. I never really even liked the show, but being in control of a character who can fly and shoot out powers is crazy fun.

It's intense. The game is very Japanese and a strange take on the sort of post-Apocalyptic world. Things are kind of steampunk style, but then also just super futuristic. I don't know how to explain it. The art style is akin to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure which is love/hate.

I still don't understand why this game didn't become hugely popular. Available only to Xbox gamers, it really seems like a game that tons of people would have liked if they had heard of it.

Would I play again? Sure.

54 - Destroy All Humans (Xbox)

Genre: Action
Rating: T
Developer: Pandemic Studios
Publisher: THQ
Platform: Xbox (Also: PS2, mobile)
Release Date: 2005

Despite aliens being really cool there's only a few games that put you in their shoes. In fact, aside from Under the Skin, Alien Hominid, and Yars' Revenge I'm having a problem thinking of other action games where you take that role. I'm sure there's more, but that's all for now.

I wish there were more games like this. Destroy All Humans may ultimately be an exercise in repetition but it's fun. At least, until it gets annoyingly difficult. You take the role of an alien among many who have chosen to invade Earth. It has something to do with using Earth to repopulate as well as just explore and destroy. Anyway, the story isn't that big of a deal.

Gameplay-wise, you shuffle around on earth with a variety of weapons to control, zap, probe, and generally annihilate the human race. If running around on your feet or with a jetpack isn't good enough, you can take to the skies with your flying saucer. The saucer is equipped with an excellent death ray perfect for leveling buildings.

With so much power at your disposal, it is hard to lose most of the time. Characters do not have any highly intelligent attack patterns so once you get their logic down it's much easier. The high point for me is that the alien commander is voiced by Richard Horvitz (Zim) of Invader Zim fame. The game gets a little boring after long enough, but for a while it feels like a great B-movie adventure.

Would I play again? Maybe.

49 - Skate (360)

Genre: Skateboarding
Rating: T
Developer: EA Black Box
Publisher: EA Games
Platform: 360 (Also: PS3, mobile)
Release Date: 2007

Skate caused a reaction in me that I haven't felt for a while. I really wanted to play it. The thing is though that I absolutely hated it. From the moment I started playing to when I finally put the control down I was cursing and gripping the controller much too tight.

Unlike the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series, this skateboard game feels a lot more realistic. In Tony Hawk games there were always some goofy things going on. The physics were strange and millions of tricks could be pulled off easily. Skate feels a lot more down to earth. Basically, Tony Hawk is like dream skateboarding and Skate is more down to earth. It isn't as if Skate isn't goofy at all either, but it tries a lot harder to be a more of a replication of the sport.

The control method is really cool. You use both analog sticks for movement. You must flick up the left analog stick in some direction to jump the skateboard up and do various tricks. The right stick controls the skater's body. You use them in sync to pull off tricks and it's not nearly as easy as it should be. In fact, the game is damn hard and the map is confusing.

Most of the stuff about the game is fine, except that the control scheme is so hard to take control of. It felt like playing Stuntman, which also requires near perfection from the player to get anywhere in the game. It is so hard. It's too hard. Somehow, I found myself playing it and failing over and over to simply get somewhere in it. I wanted to prove myself to the game. I don't think I'll pick it up anytime soon in the future, but it was one hell of an experience while it lasted.

Would I play again? Maybe.

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).

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!

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.

35 - Ys I & II Chronicles (PSP)

Genre: JRPG
Rating: T
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: Xseed Games
Platform: PSP
Release date: 2011

Never before in my life have I played a Ys game. For one, they were never as in my face as the likes of Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star, and others. To be fair, I was never a huge JRPG player anyway so it makes sense they weren't really in front of my face much. However, from time to time they would get mentioned and I would wonder why the hell they called it Ys.

Apparently you sound it out more like Es but what the hell does that even mean? Playing through the game didn't really help me much to decrypt the meaning. However, I found out that the Ys in question were some sort of magical tome scattered around in dangerous places. Lovely.

What really was too bad about this game was that I died so damn fast. The health bar is very small and very unobtrusive. So much so in fact that I didn't realize I was losing life at all until it was too late. Upon discovering that I made sure to check it out when ramming headfirst into enemies but still ended up dying a lot. Apparently, there is some strategy to this although at first it appears there is none. You see, your character auto attacks so it seems like it would be a game of chance. After spending enough time with it though I realized hitting the enemies from certain angles was the way to do it. Then I stopped dying so much.

The game was pretty charming and had some pretty hilarious text. Whoever was at work at localization did a fantastic job. However, these types of games just aren't my thing. They're also pretty short which seems weird considering RPGs of any variety typically take dozens, if not hundreds of hours. I'm not complaining though. I barely could muster up enough interest to beat these.

Would I play again? Nah.

Feel free to look at my more serious review of Ys I & II Chronicles here.

33 - Beyond Good and Evil HD (XBLA)

Genre: Action-adventure
Rating: T for Teen
Developer: Ubisoft Shanghai
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: XBLA, PSN
Release date: 2011 (HD)

You know what's an awesome game? This one. Like, oh my goodness I haven't played something this fantastic in a while. The PS2 is one of my favorite modern consoles by a landslide because it was just brimming with excellent games. While I got to experience many as they came out such as various Silent Hills and Metal Gear Solids I totally ignored this one.

Yeah, I knew that it had a cult following. I heard all these people always giving it tons of praise but for whatever reason never went to actually try and play through it. However, I did buy it the year after it came out or so for pretty cheap on a Black Friday sale. Sometime around then I popped it into my console too but only played for maybe 10 minutes.

From those initial 10 minutes it really seemed like a hokey game. There didn't seem to be anything particularly special about it and so I figured everyone must have been crazy and put it back away. However, upon playing the XBLA release I was forced to get past the intro (to review it for a site) and fell in love almost immediately after the first few minutes. Despite games rarely grabbing a hold of my attention this one did it with insane force. I fell right in love.

Damn, there's really no way to express how much I love this game. The experience was wonderful and never too frustrating to play. There were some weird glitches at times but usually it was all good. If you've never played this one I really suggest giving it a try, especially now that's available for a fair price. If you want to check out my actual review thing then you can click here.

Would I play again? Yes!

32 - Sub Rebellion (PS2)

Genre: Simulation
Rating: T
Developer: Irem
Publisher: Metro3D
Platform: PS2
Release date: 2002

Just from checking out the cover I really didn't expect much from it. Submarines are far from an interest so what fun would I really have playing a sub sim? Strangely enough, once I got past the odd button layout it started to become a really fun game.

The story is ridiculously silly and as such won't be touched upon. However, the game itself is solidly good. There seem to be various missions you must complete in your submarine. The first were based around destroying those underwater mine buoy things (I'm so skillful with the English language). After doing those basics there was some sort of submarine boss battle which was a lot neater than it sounds.

In fact the whole game seems a lot better than it has any right to be. It's simplistic but fun and to a degree reminds me of a very souped up version of one submarine game for Atari. Now, I loved that game so it's no surprise that this game also draws my interest. Still, it's pretty strange to me that I'd so quickly get into the experience of commanding my sub.

Something else of huge note was the music. It was damn wonderful. Something that continuously strikes me is how much good music there is in games that otherwise are nothing special. Who's doing this music? Unfortunately I wasn't able to find the music on Youtube but I'm sure it's somewhere out there. Overall, it was really surprising but awesome to play.

Would I play again? Sure.

30 - Taito Legends (PS2)

Genre: Compilation
Rating: T
Developer: Empire Oxford
Publisher: Sega
Platform: PS2 (Also: PC, PSP, Xbox)
Release date: 2005

I just picked this one up over the weekend and was tired of going in alphabetical order so decided to hit this up. It was a pretty good choice, especially after the supreme un-fun of the game I'd just played. Strangely, unlike the Atari and Intellivision collections I have I wasn't quite sure what would be included in the Taito flavor. For classic games, I'm kind of biased with my interest which mostly leans toward western developers. Don't ask me why though, that's just how things ended up happening.

So aside from the obligatory Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble, and Elevator Action a lot of these games were new to me. That didn't stop me from finding a couple new favorites though. Games like Gladiator were pretty cool. I liked that you could control your sword and shield separately for attacking and blocking against the enemy combatants. I'd really like to play it two player. There was some other sword game but I can't remember the name and I was just awful at it so maybe it's better to forget about it.

There was this other game but the name completely escapes me now. However, it was fantastic and it was a very simple game. Basically you were in control of two little animals (pig, dog, or cat) holding a.... bouncy mat thing. Wow, words really are failing me tonight. One of those types of things that firefighters use in movies when someone is jumping out of a window of a burning building. Anyway, you would bounce your animal friend in it and hit objects on the top half of the screen. There were even boss battles and it was totally cool.

Overall the mix of games was pretty cool. I'm always a fan of these types of things though so maybe I'm biased. They feel like pretty good deals to me. Some of the games aren't any good but that's the case with any compilation. With that said though, this compilation probably won't be the first or even second I reach for next time.

Would I play again? Sure.

29 - Shifters (PS2)

Genre: Adventure
Rating: T
Developer: 3DO
Publisher: 3DO
Platform: PS2
Release date: 2002

With 3DO developing and publishing games such as this gem for the PS2 it's easy to see why they ended up filing for bankruptcy. Now, their Army Men games were pretty cool but beyond that they always seemed to be reaching for the stars with their boots nailed to the ground.

This isn't a fun game at all. There's glitches everywhere and I came across them over and over again. The NPCs had inane dialog that sounded like it was written by a child. The graphics were awkward and probably even put together with an in-house engine. The music was silly and would cue up improperly. For example, the battle music would begin playing when I fought enemies but it would also begin playing if I tried swinging at women in the (safe) town. Apparently the music must have been bound to sword swings.

There were loading screens between levels that I didn't even know were levels. You would go to open some doors and they would open up into another room. Some doors, however, would open to a loading screen. It was really strange, especially since none of the "levels" were all that large.

There was no real guide throughout the game so I wandered aimlessly through the halls and caves. I was able to progress pretty far thanks to the extremely forgiving health bar. Along with taking a ton of hits to go down at all, it also would regenerate over time. Overall, this game felt like a really horrible way to spend my time. I'm glad it's over.

Would I play again? No.

25 - Chulip

Genre: Adventure
Rating: T
Developer: Punchline
Publisher: Natsume
Platform: PS2
Release date: 2007

A few years ago I tried this game out but never bought it. The idea intrigued me: level up by going around the town kissing people until your true love will reciprocate your feelings! The idea of the game has stuck with me through the years but I'd basically forgotten everything about it.

Playing the game I realized why I put it down so quickly the first time. It's very, very slow. It's very Japanese as well which might turn some people off. There's no murder or car crashes or explosions but just you and your father in a strangely Animal Crossing-esque world. Despite the ponderous pace of the game I really enjoyed playing it.

There were various plot points laid out relatively early in the game and there was always something going on in the town that you needed to take care of. Each character was a specific personality and overall the game oozed with a cute, Japanese charm.

At first I thought I might just sit and play the game to completion for it didn't seem very easy to die. However, finally I was presented with the option to jump down from a higher plot of land to a back yard below. Of course I took that chance and ended up plummeting to my death. It didn't seem that far, I swear!

Would I play again? Sure.

22 - Chaos Legion

Genre: Action
Rating: T
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform: PS2 (Also: PC)
Release date: 2003

The reason I avoided this game for a couple years was because I thought it was a JRPG. Not just a JRPG but a hard one. Now, I could have spent one minute looking it up to find out the truth but I quickly got caught up with other games and never gave it a second thought. Tonight I did though and found out this assumption was completely wrong!

It's very Japanese, but not an RPG at all. It's a Devil May Cry style action game. It's not nearly as flashy or fast, but I found myself extremely entertained. The only problem was that in the throes of button mashing through crowds of monsters I would skip past the tutorial text and not know what to do.

It was fun. There's no better compliment for a game than that. After a while it seems it would probably become very boring to fight groups of samey monsters over and over with a small array of attacks... In fact, I'm sure it would after a few levels. However, I wasn't able to last a few levels without dying so this game can and will remain perfectly fun in my mind.

While watching the initial cut scene it brought my attention back to a Japanese PS2 game which never made it on our shores. The name is Oz or something like that and the only reason I know of it is because it showed up as the background video/song in DDR Extreme 2.

Would I play again? No.

21 - Catwoman

Genre: Action
Rating: T
Developer: Argonaut Games
Publisher: EA Games
Platform: PS2 (Also: GBC, GBA, GC, PC, Xbox)
Release date: 2004

I'll tell you straight out, this was not a pleasant gaming experience. However, it wasn't the worst, as my expectations were set much lower. However, you gotta know you're in for a treat when the main menu shows a very slow and close up panning across the various curves of Catwoman.

The control scheme was pretty cool. You could run regularly or press a button to get into cat-like mode and have a different set of control methods. The left thumbstick moved your character around and the right controlled your whip action. In a cat fashion you are also able to jump further and climb up on things. It was also interesting that upon executing various attacks that Catwoman would exude purplish sparkles. It almost felt like I was playing a supremely less fabulous version of Bayonetta.

That's where the compliments end. The voice acting of all the NPCs were hilariously bad and the tutorial on-screen text was written really strangely. I suspect it was written how Catwoman talks but I've never read the comics so it was really weird. Beyond that, the camera loved to move in the worst places possible so there was no way to see the proper way to go and, as far as I could tell, there was no way to move it yourself.

Because of that damn camera I plummeted to my death from the tops of buildings a handful of times. Well, I should have. Falling from 7 stories only took a small chunk of health from Catwoman each time until it finally whittled down to nothing. She didn't even land on her feet!

Would I play again? No.

20 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds

Genre: Beat 'em up
Rating: T
Developer: Eurocom Ent.
Publisher: VU Games
Platform: PS2 (Also: GC, Xbox)
Release date: 2003

In regards to the show this is based off of, I had high hopes. It's a fabulous show and not a bad movie either... but I should have known better. As soon as the first level starts you're thrown right into a battle against vampire thugs. There's absolutely no introduction or initial words that tell you what is going on. You're just there, with a guy in your face ready to pound you down.

However, there was something much more of an issue going on. See, the PS3 I've been using to play these games is in between the PS3s with the emotion engine and the PS3 consoles with no PS2 support whatsoever. Mine uses software emulation to play the games and every once in a while there are some glitchy troubles with specific games. This game was probably the worst I've seen yet with the emulation.

The screen was blinking rapidly in 75% of the level - however outside of those parts it was a solid and fine screen. In both areas however parts of the character bodies would disappear. Sometimes the models would disappear completely and I'd be left with the sounds of punching and shadows on the ground to judge where I and my enemies were. All this with the screen flipping out and I don't feel a bit ashamed to say I died in the first room of the first level.

Looking the compatibility up on the PS3 site I was able to determine it wasn't my game's fault (that and by looking at the disc). Aside from all that trouble though, it didn't appear to be any special kind of game.

Would I play again? Maybe (on the PS2).

16 - Armored Core 2

Genre: Mech sim
Rating: T
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Agetec Inc.
System: PS2
Release date: 2000

This game has a great electronic soundtrack. It's also damn good at hyping you up as soon as the disc is inserted into the console. Armored Core looks like a solid series and this was my first venture into that world. Despite really liking the idea of mech games I've barely ever touched them.

I got thrown right into the first mission without any information about how to pilot myself around or shoot, but figured it out after getting shot at a million or so times. Thankfully, that not-really-tutorial tutorial had me at infinite life so that was sure nice of them.

My first real mission was a complete and utter failure, however. It should have been apparent as soon as the level loaded and I spent the next 5 minutes trying to open the door to the battle. It's amazing how awful I can really be at games and still manage to have a good time playing them.

So, there's really not much to say because I honestly barely got to experience 15 minutes of game. I will say that the controls for the mech are really wild and confusing. They're not as tough as Robot Alchemic Drive but they're no walk in the park either. Almost every button on the PS2 controller is mapped to some function of the robot.

Would I play again? No.

Bonus intro video: