Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
System: DS
Genre: 2D Platformer
Release date: Available now
Review by: James Dolbeare

I sometimes wonder if my favorite games would seem as great now if I played them for the first time today. Are the elements we loved in the classics now tired and cliché? For instance, in the age of 3D graphics, epic plotlines and high-quality voice acting, would Castlevania: Symphony of the Night still capture my interest so effectively that I could hardly pull myself away to go about my daily life? After playing Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, I can emphatically say yes. The game smacks of everything great about the Castlevania series, with a few new tricks added to keep things interesting.

Ecclesia is set shortly after Symphony of the Night, and involves neither the Belmont clan nor our favorite backwards vampire, Alucard. Instead, players take control of Shanoa, a member of a secret society devoted to destroying Dracula once and for all. Shanoa has the unique ability to absorb and command glyphs, magical weapons she conjures from thin air. The Order has created a glyph called Dominus that they believe to be capable of defeating Dracula, and Shanoa has been chosen as its host. When Albus, a young colleague of Shanoa’s, discovers this, he becomes enraged and steals the Dominus. Shanoa is then sent to recover it.

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Publisher: Battlefront.com
Developer: Big Time Software
System: PC
Minimum requirements: Windows XP; Pentium IV 1.8 GHz or equivalent speed AMD processor; GeForce 5200 or Radeon 9200; DirectX 9 compatible Sound Card; 256 Megabytes RAM; 1 Gigabyte of free space on hard drive
Genre: Strategy
Release date: Available now
Review by: Jason Pitruzzello

While I enjoy a good first-person shooter, the one thing they often lack is some of the hardcore small-unit tactics often employed in the real world. Multiplayer matches, while entertaining, tend to devolve into frag-fests and silly, suicidal behavior because of seemingly important statistics and the ability to respawn. While it’s fun to grab a good set of realistic contemporary weapons and hunt down your friends on various maps, it’s no substitute for games that emphasize group tactics rather than individual skills. Games covering World War II and its squad-level engagements are quite plentiful, but developer Battlefront has decided to move into the 21st century with the release of Combat Mission: Shock Force – Marines, an expansion to Combat Mission: Shock Force. The original game covers a fictional conflict between the U.S. and Syria, set in the here and now, and the expansion follows the exploits of an MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) as it takes on missions in this fictional conflict, adding to the U.S. Army-dominated content of the original.

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Publisher: Legacy Interactive
Developer: Legacy Interactive
System: PC
Minimum requirements: Windows XP/Vista; CD ROM drive or Internet connection
Genre: Sim
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

Did you know that Peter Ostrum, known better to all as Charlie Bucket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is a veterinarian? That’s right; the luckiest kid on Earth left acting immediately after filming was done and turned his attentions to animal husbandry and medicine. I guess some people have such an undeniable attraction to animals that they give up promising acting careers for them. Me, I like video games, so rather than dropping the controller and devoting myself to the animal kingdom, I can pick up Legacy Games’ Pet Pals: New Leash on Life, and simulate the Doctor Doolittle experience at home.

In New Leash, you assume the role of a rookie vet who’s put in charge of treating abused and abandoned animals at a rescue shelter. This medical practice spans 30 real-life cases, ranging from treating a cute little kitty with explosive diarrhea to amputating an iguana’s toe after a nasty infection. You start by asking the appropriate questions about the animal, and then you choose from more than 45 medical tools to palpate, prod and shave the ailing pet for a perfect point score. Beware, though, as triage comes into play; while your current patient might be in dire need of attention, a dog that has fallen into anaphylaxis might be a little more important at the moment.

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Publisher: THQ
Developer: 5th Cell
System: Nintendo DS
Genre: Real-time Strategy
Release date: Available now
Review by: Michael Smith

When you think about games for the Nintendo DS, story depth and character development don’t usually spring to mind. Most of these games are meant to be played in small chunks while riding the bus to school or the subway to work. Playing them for extended lengths of time usually results in aching neck muscles and eye strain, but with the release of Lock’s Quest, THQ and developer 5th Cell have given us an immersive and entertaining reason to fight through the pain.

In the Kingdom, Source is life. This magic substance, found in wells throughout the land, is used by the Archineers to build and maintain structures. The greatest of these Archineers was Agonius, who through the course of years had become the King’s favorite. But Agonius wanted to use the power of Source to create life; an ability that the King feared would endanger his reign. So the King forbade Agonius from proceeding with his experiments. This prompted the angry and ambitious Archineer to desert his King and disappear into the wilderness.

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Publisher: Midway Games
Developer: Midway Games
System: Wii
Genre: Compilation
Release Date: Available now
Reviewer: Christopher J. Troilo

As we all know, the Wii was designed primarily for non-traditional gamers, as Nintendo wanted to give us the electronic version of Family Game Night. Instead of pulling out Scrabble or Clue, groups can now decide to pop in a few Wii games. With this in mind, along comes Game Party 2, another in the recent spate of party titles. Its specific focus is on the simple games you might play in a backyard or an arcade.

Game Party 2 offers 11 different games, some of which share very similar objectives and mechanics. In a category one might call “classic backyard games,” the player can choose such options as Lawn Darts or Horseshoes, in which the goal is to toss objects closest to a target. Players can choose different scoring methods, such as what the total score should be in order to end the game. Beanbags, in which you attempt to toss a sack into a hole, is a variation on the Horseshoes theme.

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Publisher: Sega
Developer: Secret Level
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Release date: Available now
Reviewer: Christopher J. Troilo

I remember the original Golden Axe for Sega - a relatively simple fantasy-adventure beat-em-up for multiple players. The game was fairly well received because it was similar to the style of games that were popular in arcades, such as X-Men or TMNT. There have been many additions to the Golden Axe series since then, but now it’s finally making its debut on the Xbox 360 in a new game, Golden Axe: Beast Rider.

Beast Rider’s main character is Tyris Flare, the heroine from the first installment of the series. Tyris finds that most of the members of her tribe have been brutally massacred by the magical villain Death Adder and his minions. Tyris vows revenge, but in order to stand a chance against Death Adder, she must reconstruct the fabled Golden Axe, which is needed to destroy him. Her only allies in this battle are the wild magical beasts of the land, each of which has their own unique abilities, such as cloaking or shooting fireballs.

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Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive
Developer: Lexus Numerique
System: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action/Adventure
Release date: Available now
Review by: James Dolbeare

One of the beautiful things about the Nintendo DS is that it allows designers to create games that stretch traditional and familiar interfaces. With Mister Slime, Lexus Numerique has taken full advantage of that capability.

Mister Slime is a 2D side-scrolling platformer with puzzle-solving elements in which you help Mr. Slime defend his village from an enemy tribe, the Axons. You won’t find yourself running or jumping around, however, as Slime doesn’t have any legs. He moves by climbing across pegs placed throughout the maze-like levels. When you tap a peg with the stylus, Slime grabs it. When you tap one of Slime’s arms, he releases a peg, allowing him to move forward. As the game progresses, Slime has to carry objects around the levels, tying up one of his arms and making it more difficult for him to move. The objects vary, but generally they’re heavy and they need to be put on a platform to open a door.

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Publisher: Hothead Games
Developer: Hothead Games
System: XBLA
Genre: Adventure
Release date: Available now
Review by: Ryan Asher

It’s the same stuff, different day for your main protagonist as Episode 2 of Penny Arcade Adventures begins, but this time it’s not a skyscraper-sized robot thrashing your pad. It’s your old buds Gabe and Tycho barreling recklessly into it with their truck. Cue the start of another random, hilarious and sometimes socially awkward misadventure starring the fine duo from Penny Arcade.

After the formalities of your now destroyed home are discussed between the duo and your character, who you can import from the first episode, you’re off to Anne Clair’s for mission details. If it’s the blood of evildoers you crave, no worries; it isn’t long before you’re outside the local loony house cracking the skulls of loitering crazies. The characters feel the need for change when it comes to their various instruments of death. Sure, Gabe still utilizes his fists to dish out his brand of hilarious justice, but Tycho has transitioned to the shotgun and you’ve moved on from the rake…to a hoe.

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Publisher: THQ
Developer: Volition Inc.
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

The open-world genre has become the next-generation standard, perhaps because giving gamers the freedom to go anywhere and do anything can be seen as indicative of a console’s power. We witnessed humble beginnings on the PS2, shuffling our “hero” through the muddily textured streets of Liberty City, the neon glow of Vice City and the expanse of San Andreas, but when the Xbox 360 hit there was no standard option, no Rockstar-like haven where the chaotically minded could enact their brand of free-form bedlam. So when the original Saint’s Row finally popped a cap in 2006, the Microsoft adopters finally got their chance. Now, developer Volition continues the free-form Saint’s Row experience with the much-anticipated sequel, Saint’s Row 2.

Comparisons between the Saint’s Row and Grand Theft Auto franchises are easy to make. Take, for example, the GPS navigation that Volition put into the original Saint’s game, or the nifty cell phone that allowed you to contact your homies and other fun stuff. Let’s not forget the much-lauded free aiming system that made GTA’s targeting look archaic. GTA IV has these luxuries too, and they’re even a bit more functional, but GTA IV was released long after the streets of SR’s Stilwater were already paved and Saint’s had gone to the platinum hits line. Folks like to identify Saint’s Row as a GTA clone, but it’s really the other way around.

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Publisher: EA
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
System: Xbox 360
Genre: FPS
Release date: Available now
Review by: Ed Humphries

There are no new ideas, just new ways of freshening up the old ones. At least, that’s how the old cliché goes. While it’s a tenet derived from narrative fiction, the same notion can be applied to video games, a medium that continues to push the idea of interactive storytelling with new and exciting ways of involving the player in the narrative, even if the stories never really evolve beyond the same yarns that have been spun in the past. But, as with fiction, old tales can be rendered new when enough care and polish is applied. With the launch of Dead Space, EA presents a new take on a somewhat creaky survival horror genre in desperate need of a fresh voice.

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