Role-Playing

For the uninitiated, Diablo II is the sequel to the popular medieval RPG title that once again cast players in the role of an adventurer out to put an end to the newly resurrected Prince of Darkness, Diablo. Played from a diagonal three-quarter view perspective, the most surprising thing about Diablo II is its simple and console-like gameplay.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood & Gore, Animated Violence 

Junk food. You yearn for it, you stuff yourself with it—salivating with each morsel—then hours later you end up with a sick, empty feeling in your stomach and a funky taste in your mouth. In a strange way, the more I played Diablo II, the more I believed it was interactive junk food.

Game Description: In Diablo II, players return to a world of dark fantasy. As one of five distinct character types, players will explore the world of Diablo II, journey across distant lands, fight new villains, discover new treasures, and uncover ancient mysteries. The Collectors Edition includes the four-CD game, a 24-minute Diablo II movie on DVD and in letter-box format, the 70-minute soundtrack, and the D&D Diablo II pen-and-paper box set for playing D&D in the Diablo II setting.

As many people know, Chrono Cross is the long awaited sequel to Chrono Trigger, a game released roughly five years ago for the Super NES that involved some memorable and original gameplay based around time travel. Chrono Trigger was famous for allowing the player a remarkable amount of variation in how he/she chose to play the game.

Game Description: While it's officially a sequel to the immensely popular Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross is completely its own role-playing game with over 40 characters, a branching story line, and multiple endings. Like its predecessor, the game is about crossing through time and setting things right. This story focuses on Serge's quest for the Frozen Flame, which will give the beholder the power to bend space and time. Serge wants the power to save himself from dying in a parallel universe but, as you can guess, nefarious forces are also vying for the Frozen Flame to suit their own purposes. Chrono Cross features the stylish character designs and wondrous cut scenes that gamers have come to expect from SquareSoft, but the game also has a number of gameplay innovations. Though the battle engine is essentially turn-based, characters don't have to wait their turn to cast a spell or make an attack; battles are moderated by stamina. Also, the repetitive battles with lesser monsters that make so many RPGs sag can be easily avoided because all monsters can be seen on the screen.

Playing Chrono Cross can be a bewildering experience, and that's not a slight at the game's graphics, music, gameplay or even its story.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Mild Language

I am still shocked that Square would toss aside the excellent multiplayer feature I had come to expect from the Seiken Densetsu series. But as disappointing as that was, it wasn't what kept Legend Of Mana from shining.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Animated Violence, Suggestive Themes