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Digital Living September 2004 • Vol.4 Issue 9 Page(s) 91-94 in print issue |
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At Your Leisure Plug In, Sit Back & Fire Away |
The entertainment world, at least where it pertains to technology, morphs, twists, turns, and fires so fast it's hard to keep up. But that's exactly why we love it. For the lowdown on the latest in PC entertainment, DVDs, consoles, and just stuff we love, read on.  Ground Control II: Operation Exodus Conventional, But Very Attractive
Maybe that's why the ultra-conventional gameplay didn't bowl us over. GC2 follows the tried-and-true RTS rules. However, the ability to use terrain to your battle advantage is a nice touch. If you're a fan of RTS games, this is definitely one to snap up. However, it's worth noting that GC2 won't change your mind if the genre has you rolling your eyes back into your skull.
The story follows Nick Scryer, a man with extraordinary mental powers who has his memory wiped clean at the outset in order to infiltrate a terrorist organization known as The Movement. The Movement has its own contingent of psionic agents, and the government wants to send Scryer in to ferret them out. Scryer and what he thinks are his men (normal, nonpsionic soldiers) are captured and a Mindgate agent who previously infiltrated The Movement shows up to set Nick free and give him a shot of something to restore his memory and unlock his power.
The shot doesn't work as advertised, however, and Nick doesn't remember who he really is or what he's doing there, but he does recover his powers, although they come back one at a time over the course of the game. As Nick regains more of his psionic powers (which include telekinesis, pyrokinesis, mind drain, mind control, remote viewing, and aura view), the way you'll play the game changes dramatically. Rather than relying on guns to take out the bad guys, you'll find yourself leaning more and more on your newfound powers.
Way Of The Samurai hit the PS2 in 2002 and offered some interesting and somewhat innovative gameplay combined with a deep but sometimes awkward combat system. The sequel, not too surprisingly, offers much the same experience; although it lacks a bit of polish here and there, it provides a unique gaming experience that some will find very worthwhile. Set in Japan at the end of the feudal period, the game is the story of a samurai with no master who is wandering in search of a purpose. Reeling from fatigue and hunger, he approaches a small town called Amahara and passes out at the town gate. A young girl shares her lunch with him and helps him survive, after which you control the samurai as he explores the town and looks for gainful employment. During the course of the game, you'll undertake various kinds of jobs to earn money, and at every step of the way, the decisions you make will affect not only the game's ultimate outcome but also what the denizens of Amahara think of you. If, for example, you go around picking fights without cause and/or dining and dashing in the town's restaurants, word will get out that you're a dishonorable troublemaker, and there will be consequences. When push does come to shove, however, your character is more than capable of protecting himself, and as the game progresses you'll get better and stronger, augmenting your skills with better swords. Control during battle can be a bit dodgy but it's still fun, and we think the game's open-ended story and unusual NPC interaction is more than worth the effort. ESRB: (M)ature • Capcom
Mega Man Anniversary Collection Classic Gaming At Its Best
That's the essence of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, Capcom's recently released compilation of eight of the first Mega Man games plus two hidden bonus games that are new here in the states. The first six titles originally appeared on the NES, Mega Man 7 was for the Super NES, and Mega Man 8 was released on the original PlayStation, and each title in this collection is a direct translation, with graphics and sound perfectly recreated. (There are a few optional extras here and there in the way of updated controls, an autosave feature, and tweaked music in the PS2 version.) As such, the collection won't appeal to folks who demand high-res 3D games, but if you're familiar with the 2D sprites of yesteryear, you'll have a blast running, jumping, and blasting your way through each of these games.
The Atari Paddle (13-in-1 TV games) and Namco Ms. Pac-Man (5-in-1 TV games) joysticks are instant blasts from the past. Both offer many joyful hours of nostalgic gaming. Drop in the four AA batteries and plug a unit into a television to have yourself the equivalent of several arcade machines in two friendly, self-contained packages.
The Namco Ms. Pac-Man joystick includes Galaga, Xevious, Pole Position, and Mappy. The first three games kept us glued to the telly for innumerable hours when we had Far Cry (PC) and Chronicles Of Riddick: EfBB (Xbox) sitting impatiently in the wings. If you ever played these games in the arcade, then you owe yourself the experience of plugging in and playing this on the television. Pole Position plays surprisingly well with the little twist feature found in the joystick; however, after our two-player foray with the Atari paddles, we were disappointed to not have two-player modes with the joystick. Fortunately, we were able to handle our disappointment very well (by playing for several more hours). We've got one word to describe these self-contained mini consoles: Brilliant. Check out the other offerings on the Jakks Web site. Very highly recommended. ESRB: (E)veryone • Jakks Pacific
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