Sony Online

Continuing the coverage from last week's visit to Sony Online Entertainment, here's a rundown of the upcoming Magic: The Gathering—Tactics for the PlayStation and PC.

I freely admit that I've got next to no experience with MMOs. I rarely play games on the PC, and my schedule is so busy and erratic that trying to coordinate with other people is next to impossible. As a result, I had only cursory knowledge of what DC Universe Online had to offer. However, after the thorough walkthrough provided by one of the game's developers, I'd be more than willing to give this one a shot.

When I reviewed the first Untold Legends game a year ago, I commented that the hack-and-slash dungeon-crawl genre hadn't advanced very much since its inception. Therefore, I was surprised at how widely Sony Online missed the mark with their game, given that the basic "successful" formula has remained unchanged for years. Although the newest installment in this series, The Warrior's Code, improves upon the rampant boredom and series of errors the first title committed, the positive gains are only incremental.

According to ESRB this game contains: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence

According to ESRB, this game contains: Teen (13+), fantasy violence

I like hack-and-slash games just as much as the next guy, maybe even more so. It's a very simple, straightforward genre that hasn't advanced very much since its inception. The basic rules and formula were set up long ago, and mostly hold true to this day because there's something very compelling about constantly battling off hordes of advancing monsters while finding new, shiny pieces of armor among the entrails. Still, despite the lack of sophistication and basic structure necessary to create a game in this genre, Sony Online's PSP entry Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade is a perfect example of how even the most basic formula can be royally screwed up.