Sega

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence

In critiquing Maken X, I am surprised I went this long without blasting the game's overall look. Although the game is rendered with crisp, high-resolution graphics, it is ruined by the choice of character designs and models. Being the anime fan I am, I have no problem with Asmik Ace keeping the anime-look and porting it into a three-dimensional environment. After all Capcom and Square have done it wonderfully with Power Stone and Final Fantasy VIII respectively, and the games were the better for it. The one caveat is that the designs must be appealing to begin with.

Game Description: With exciting first-person sword combat and an engaging storyline with multiple endings, Maken X is one of the most unusual action- adventure games to hit the Dreamcast. Players assume the role of Maken, a supernatural entity that can "brain-jack" the minds and bodies of other characters to utilize their particular strengths and knowledge. Not a bad skill, especially given the evil and gruesome baddies that Maken must overcome. Using a unique lock-on system that targets an opponent's weakest area, Maken takes advantage of a variety of hand-held weapons. As the story unfolds through 20 massive levels, your specific actions will decide your gaming route (as well as which ending you'll uncover).

I have incredible soft spot for games that take preexisting genres and really put their own spin on it. This was truly the case with Maken X. While it uses the first-person view to full effect; it plays nothing like the usual Quake-engine based shooter. Instead, Maken X fuse styles of gameplay (hand-to-hand combat, lock-on feature, charged attacks, blocks, computer AI patterns) more commonly found in console games with the first-person view.

There's no doubting the amazing audio and visual advancements that NHL 2K so eagerly showcases. Combine those with easy-to-handle controls and solid gameplay and you have a strong case for the most enjoyable hockey simulation ever. This game gets back to the basics, whereas the most recent hockey games on PlayStation and Nintendo 64 have been following an ugly trend of overly complicated gameplay. NHL 2K is the most fun I've had playing hockey since EA Sports' glory days on the Sega Genesis.

Game Description: In the tradition of NBA 2K and NFL 2K, two of the finest console sports games to date, Sega's NHL 2K aims to score big as the most realistic hockey simulation game ever seen. Those who've witnessed the capabilities of this game's predecessors know what to expect: hyperrealistic gameplay, TV-perfect camera angles, jaw-dropping graphics, expert game commentary, and other fine details that capture the spirit of the sport.

Having not played a hockey game seriously with the exceptions of NHL Hockey and Konami's Blades Of Steel for the NES and Wayne Gretzky Hockey 64 on the Nintendo 64, about all I can add is that even a relative novice like myself found the computer's "defense" to be a bit on the easy side. Admittedly, I wasn't having my way with the computer the way Ben seems to have, but I could see that there were times when the opposing team didn't want to even show up (kind of like the Buffalo Sabres in this year's playoffs).

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence

Though the conflict between cats and mice has been well-documented in storybooks and cartoons, there haven't been many videogames based on the subject (and the ones based on Tom and Jerry don't count). Once again showing what they can do when they're not bogged down by the Sonic franchise, Sonic Team has created an absolute masterpiece in Chu Chu Rocket!—a raucous cat-and-mouse affair that never grows tiresome.

Game Description: Online gaming has arrived on the Dreamcast! Chu Chu Rocket is the first game to fully utilize the Internet connectivity of the Dreamcast. This simple (but very addictive) puzzle game is strongly reminiscent of the traditional "cat-and-mouse" game. Your goal is to herd some intergalactic rats (the strangely-named Chu Chus) into a rocket, while avoiding some whacked-out space cats (a.k.a. Kapu Kapus) that are in fast pursuit.