So in Smackdown!, the ability to grow my character and further adjust his arsenal of moves with choices that only become available after I've reached certain levels of ability really caught my attention—hook, line and sinker. I simply couldn't stop playing there after, and Smackdown! became just plain smack for me.

Sadly, what was so brilliantly executed on the Game Boy, was not as impressively treated here in the Nintendo 64 creation, Pokémon Stadium. Rather than trying to recreate that childhood past-time in another shape or form appropriate for the now-fledgling Nintendo 64 system, Stadium is nothing more then a companion piece for Pokémon trainers who already own the Game Boy version.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Animated Violence 

As I said before Stadium is not the finest example of a stand-alone game, but in all fairness, it was never to meant to be. It was to be used with Nintendo's very innovative Transfer Pak, and when linked with a Pokémon game, it offered new options and modes that enhanced the original games experience. With the exception of a true Pokémon sequel, I doubt fans really could ask for more.

With all the talk about virtual worlds and first-person shooters (FPS) I would have thought that the usually reputable X-Files crew would actually do some digging when it came to their videogame focused episode.

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

The thing most noteworthy to me about Soul Fighter is that it serves as a reminder of how far the industry has gone. Years ago, no one would have cared if a game was released without a two-player mode because that was the norm then. But nowadays, if an action game doesn't have a two-player mode, a red flag goes up and the game will be judged harshly.

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

The current state of the industry still has game developers and publishers more concerned with testing gamers reflexes with action-oriented fare than they are with offering more cerebral experiences. Games like Final Fantasy VII helped change some of those perceptions by bringing the console RPG into the mainstream. Unfortunately, I cant say the same about Vandal Hearts II doing the same for more strategy-oriented games.

The lack of a 2-player mode in Soul Fighter didn't annoy me as much as it did Dale. I was actually looking forward to playing an old-school, side-scrolling fighting game since there hasn't really been a good one since Super Double Dragon on the SNES.