PS2

Bored of the Rings

HIGH The cutscenes will make you wistful for the superior films.

LOW My wrist. Ow... Ow; my wrist.

WTF Who is this game for!?

It was 10 years ago this past week that the PlayStation 2 launched at retail to long lines, tight supply, and excited consumers.

Pretty Girls and Mechs? Not as Awesome as it Sounds

HIGH: The dating simulation "Adventure Mode."

LOW: Long battles, followed by even longer boss fights, without a break. (Or a save point).

WTF: The dating simulation is the high point. In a game about giant mech fighting.

Game Description: Sakura Wars: So Long My Love is a single player strategy role-playing game (SRPG) and the first game in the popular Japanese Sakura Wars franchise to be released in North America. The game features both an exciting and fast-paced mech/air battle system and a unique, sim-based storyline. This in-depth storyline allows for character interaction that plays a major role in the progression of game action as interactions with various characters in the game can ultimately change the story content and even the final outcome.

Some years back I played Dead to Rights and found its plot so captivatingly, amazingly ludicrous that I wound up writing a fifty-odd page review of it. It was relatively well-received by people who worked on the game, and even wound up being mentioned in 2005's prequel, Dead to Rights II. Now, to celebrate the release of Dead to Rights: Retribution, I've decided to repost the review here, now with illustrations! Hopefully the occasional image and video will help make it a little more palatable—yes, I'm well aware that it's TL, and I won't be offended if you DR.

That guy with the earthquake move. The ice thing. The stupid jerkface that won't hold still. Whatever their form, bosses have been a part of gaming since the early days of Atari. Personally I've always been a sucker for boss battles-they can very heavily influence my opinion of a given game. However, based on many games I've spent time with recently, Tim's question from the most recent podcast (mentioned around the 39:00 mark) is a valid one-do they even make good boss battles anymore?

You were Always on my Mind...

HIGH A great game-ending twist.

LOW Almost every nightmare sequence is perfectly awful.

WTF It seems this therapist is a session drinker.

Getting pretty close to the 30-hour mark and I'm still enjoying the game quite a bit. It's probably the most pleasant Final Fantasy experience I've had since Final Fantasy X, but as the game goes on, more and more of its warts are starting to show.

After the madness of the fourth quarter, I have a lull in the review schedule right now. It's nice to not be reviewing something for a change, so I'm plowing ahead with Final Fantasy XII. I'm about fifteen-ish hours into the adventure and still loving it. Loving it a heck of a lot more than I expected, actually.