Koudelka first gained media attention at the 1999 E3 show. Anyone who saw its looping demos admitted that the game showed promise. It sported impressive CG graphics, rich prerendered backgrounds and was made by a collection of developers who once worked at Squaresoft—all the things needed to garner some attention and positive early reviews.

What makes survival horror games so annoying is how exploring and finding items in the prerendered backgrounds almost always proves to be a rigid and awkward experience. Koudelka makes this quality about a thousand times worse by adding random attacks—more typically found in RPGs—to the mix.

Chi pretty much covered all bases in regard to Threads Of Fate. The graphics in the game are remarkable, and the lack of full-motion video was not missed at all as the real-time graphics more than sufficed. I especially liked how the two plotlines were told throughout the game -- although I preferred Rue's more noble quest. No matter which I picked, they were humorous and carefree overall with the right touches of drama when needed. This part of the game was proof that Squaresoft still knows how to tell as story.

Despite how great that may sound on paper, I'm sad to say that the final results are only slightly better than mediocre. At its heart, Threads Of Fate wants to achieve the kind of friendly and approachable, yet epic and majestic feel that The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time so wonderfully conveyed.

Among the many NES classics we've all played and forgotten about, Blaster Master is one that still manages to amaze today. I remember marveling at the game's remarkable special effects when it came out 12 years ago, and even as I play it now, I'm astonished at how cool the shots and explosions look.

For months now, Sega and their latest console entry, Dreamcast, have been massively scrutinized to beatdown proportions in the public arena. This was largely due to the very prolific and high profile launch of Sony's own PlayStation 2 onto the global landscape.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence

What's worse is that some of their best games were actually created by other companies: like the Star Wars series (developed by Capcom) on the Super Nintendo and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (developed by Factor 5) for the Nintendo 64. It's likely that the potency of the Star Wars license is why this division continues to exist. Their latest is a side-scrolling fighting game called Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles and it's close to being a game that LucasArts finally got right.

What I consider to be the main weakness of Vagrant Story is that it wants to be something that its not. Sort of like Quentin Tarentino stretching as an actor or Sylvester Stallone attempting to do comedy.