Review: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII carved its name in the gaming world and with the anniversary of the original release of the game Square had prepared to release a series of sequels and add-ons to what they consider to be their biggest hit in the Final Fantasy series. As part of this compilation Crisis Core was released for the PSP handheld system. It was a prequal to the original Final Fantasy VII titles which finally gave all the details on the events leading up to the original title. I'm sure that you remember that a large majority of these events were reviled in the game however this time it takes a new point of view. This time around the story is through the eyes of a member of S.O.L.D.I.E.R named Zack Fair. The story actually starts quite a bit of time before the familiar Cloud even comes into the picture.

Many of the concepts from the previous Final Fantasy VII titles return with a bit more of a twist to them. Materia return as well with more or less the same use as the original game except for a few minor changes being the fact that you no longer attach them to your equipment however a set of ability slots are present. At first you start off with only three slots for equipping abilities however you will eventually rack up some additional slots. Equipment and accessories are added close to the same way and of course once again you start with a limited amount of slots but you will aquire more as you work your way through the game.

With the basic materia abilities like fire, blizzard, and thunder which should be familiar to all avid Final Fantasy players however there is also a method of combining materia to form stronger materia. You won't exactly start with this however as you move through the storyline you will eventually acquire it and you'll be sure to be making good use of it as the game gets increasingly more difficult.

Not only do many concepts from previous games return but characters as well. From main characters like Cloud, Tifa, and of course everyones favorite psychopath, Sephiroth who has yet to become the monster who will one day try to destroy the entire planet. One of the most epic scenes in the original Final Fantasy VII was of course the death of the character Aerith who died early on in the game leaving little known about her however she returns in Crisis Core giving a little more back story into the story of the character Aerith and her connection to the main character of Crisis Core, Zack.

The concepts and abilities in the game may be very similar to previous installments in the Final Fantasy series however the combat system is something completely knew to the series. If I had to describe it I would have to say it was more of a combination between the combat system of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XII. Random battles while exploring an adventure field are still present however but they are much more smooth with no screen transition in between like in many Final Fantasy titles before. The main attack basis is controlled by a series of actions all controlled by the X button however you will be scrolling through the separate actions using the L and R shoulder buttons. The actions are made of the basic attack icon followed by all the materia abilities you may have attached at the time and then the item menu item. When you select an attack command it will automatically lock on to the nearest enemy in the direction you currently have Zack facing. For the basic attack action it will automatically move Zack in towards that opponent however that isn't the case for all materia abilities so you should try to be as close as possible when using them until you learn the appropriate distance you need to be. The defensive moves are handled by the square and triangle buttons. There are two defensive moves, your standard block as well as a dodge roll. Keep in mind however that you can't use these defensive moves endlessly as the AP bar slowly drops after each use.

The newest of the mechanics in Crisis Core is the limit system used in battle. Limits aren't exactly something new to the Final Fantasy franchise however this time they've given a whole new twist to it. Using what is called the DMW which is basically a slot machine like mechanic made up of a series of numbers as well as mugshots of characters who appear throughout the game. By matching up certain series of numbers will level up Zack as well as the materia attached to him. By matching up the mugshots will unleash a limit ability with some connection to that character. Until you meet that character there will be a darkened silhouette image which will have a basic limit ability attached until you actually meet up with that character during the storyline of the game. There are also summon characters who will appear on the DMW from time to time after you manage to unlock the summon. The DMW will be rolling through the entire battle and once two of the images are matched up it will activate and you'll have a chance of either leveling up, using a limit, or even nothing at all may happen. After certain conditions are met the chances of matching the images up will increase. Using the DMW will become critical in tough battles and tight situations.

The music of the game is very similar to previous Final Fantasy titles and even has a few returning songs giving the series a very similar feel to the rest of the series. The voice acting in the game is the same as in Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus making it just as superb as before. The graphics are in fact some of the best on the PSP system possibly even the best that we've seen on the handheld Sony system thus far.

Overall as a prequel to what is considered to be on of the best Final Fantasy games Crisis Core gets the job done quite well. The familiar characters as well as familiar music gives the game a trust authentic Final Fantasy feel even if the combat system is completely new to the series. Crisis Core is a must for any Final Fantasy fans or for those wanting more Final Fantasy VII.

Review: Final Fantasy VII

I don't think there's a single gamer out there who wouldn't recognize the characters from one of the biggest games to hit the Playstation console. Characters like the spikey haired broad sword wielding Cloud Strife, the hot headed Tifa Lockhart or the psychotic mastermind Sephiroth should be familiar with gamers of all kinds. These were just a few of the familiar faces to put their mark on the gaming world when the first Final Fantasy game hit a 3D console and they're characters that we could never forget. Of course you should have figured it out by now but if you haven't I'm talking about Final Fantasy VII.

By the standards today we may look back and say that the in game graphics weren't exactly anything impressive however for the time they were average. The battle and cutscene graphics were the complete opposite as they were sleek and something we had never yet seen from a game before.

However even if the graphics weren't top par what made the game one of the best was the epic storyline. The story starts off with a revolutionary group fighting back against a corrupt corporation known as Shinra who is slowly killing the planet they lived on by draining its energy and using it for their own good. This group hired an ex-troop from the Shinra's army, a man named Cloud Strife who is only in it for the money at the start. Cloud soon got more and more involved when a nightmare from his past made a return, the man who had destroyed his hometown who had once been a fellow member of Shinra's task force, SOLDIER. His name was Sephiroth and he was always known as the strongest and Cloud even wanted to become just like him at one time. That was until Sephiroth found out about how Shinra was created. That was when he turned with the new sole purpose of bringing forth the destruction of the planet using a giant meteor.

The character design is some of the best which is something that's come to be expected from Square. Even without voice acting for their characters Square still did a great job of showing their characters personalities even if it was through only text.

The leveling system in the game isn't much different from other Final Fantasy games keeping to a very similar turn based roleplaying game format. The format is very much the same as in previous installments of the Final Fantasy series as the turned base combat is on a bit of a more real time. In order to attack you'll need to wait for an action bar for each character in your party to fill after each action. The same rules apply to the enemies too even though you won't exactly be able to see their bar.

The upgrade system which includes both the magic and abilities given to each character are developed in a unique way. They're given to each party member by equipping orb like objects known as Materia. These Materia are equip to your characters weapons, armor, and accessories giving them the magic and abilities attached to them. These Materia can include many familiar elemental magics as well as summons and even son brand new ones.

With the epic storyline crossing over three separate disks which was unheard of at the time. An all new massive world to explore as well as the all so memorable characters. The music in the game was orchestrated just for the game giving it a very similar feel to many of the Final Fantasy games from the past. At first I wasn't sure this was a game that needed no review but I couldn't exactly to pass up the opportunity to give my input on what is considered to be one of the greatest games of all time. The price of the game at this time is a little outrageous but it is a game that is worth a play for all Final Fantasy fans.

News: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

The release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII in the United States is her at last. The first major Final Fantasy title to hit the PSP handheld system. We may just be ready to dive even deeper into Cloud Strife's past reviling in detail the true story which led up to the epic adventure which was the original Final Fantasy VII on the Playstation console so many years before.

This time around you'll be playing as a completely different member of SOLDIER, a man named Zack Fair. He was mentioned slightly in Final Fantasy VII however this time his true role in the story of Cloud's battle against the evil Sephiroth will be reviled to us.

Review: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Part 3

Besides the main modes included in Super Smash Bros. Brawl there are many and I mean many smaller side modes which will add to the replay value in the game. From collectibles to a few extra modes I could guarantee that this is one game that will keep you're hands full for quite some time.

For starters there are quite a few smaller modes under the category of stadium. The first of these modes is something that should be familiar to those who've been playing the Super Smash Bros. series from the start. It's a little mode called Break the Targets. That pretty much describes it all. The main objective is to move through the various stages breaking the targets spread throughout them. There are a total of five stages which each pick up the bar of difficulty. These stages are also present through Classic mode and this is actually the way of unlocking this mode as well as the multiple stages for play outside of Classic mode.

The next mode present in stadium should be another familiar mode from the melee days. It's a mode known as multiman brawl. There a few breakdowns for this mode including ten man brawl which will pit you up against ten of the unique enemies which are present in this mode. The next is a bit more of any extreme known as the one hundred man brawl. The name describes it almost perfectly, this time around you'll have to fight against one hundred opponents during an ongoing battle. There are also a few other modes like fifteen minute brawl, endless brawl, and cruel brawl which all seem to describe themselves and will all pit you up against these various unique to this mode only enemies.

The lase mode I will talk about in stadium is known as Home-Run Contest which is a new and slightly more unique mode. In this mode you'll have the option of playing as any of your favorite characters. You'll take up a baseball bat and time a charged it to a punching bag to send it flying as far as you possibly can aiming for a high score. There are many things that can affect how far the bag flies from the amount of damage done to it as well as which character you're using at the time.

There is one other mode included under stadium however it isn't exactly available from the start of the game so I won't go into too much detail on it in order to not spoil it for those who've yet to unlock it just yet.

Throughout the game you will find yourself fulfilling what is called a challenge. Challenges are series of objectives that will unlock various objects from collectibles to extra characters and even extra stages and music. The challenges are all posted on a large wall. The wall is covered by glass windows which break whenever you manage to fulfill one of the many challenges. Challenges can range from close to anything by simply finishing Classic mode on a certain difficulty to having to finish in a set amount of time. Once you complete a challenge the objectives for the challenges to either side of it will become visible to you. After clearing certain objectives you will also receive hammers which will allow you to break a window unlocking the object behind it. This will only work on the windows which have their objectives reviled to you. These hammers should be saved for objectives which you may be having trouble completing because you will only receive a total of five of them throughout the game.

I've mentioned collectibles multiple times throughout this review already. The main collectibles are made up of trophies as well as stickers. Trophies and stickers can both be collected throughout Adventure mode as well as they can be collected using the coin launcher mini game built into the game which allow you to collect large amounts of both trophies and stickers depending on how many coins you've managed to collect throughout the other modes in the game. Coins are collected in close to every mode in the game and are usually collected at times when you don't even realize it simply by finishing fights in Classic Mode as well as for completing levels in Adventure mode. Stickers also have another use in adventure mode as you can equip them to characters in order to upgrade them and make them stronger. This isn't exactly necessary but is a nice addition and they do come in handy when playing on harder difficulties. There are trophies and stickers to close to every character and every game that you can possibly imagine.

Another nice extra in the game are the masterpieces which are short timed demos of multiple Nintendo titles from classic Nintendo consoles from the NES all the way up to the N64. Most of these titles also appear or are planned to make appearances on the Virtual Console built in to the Wii console. These demos are timed and only give you a short amount of time to play these game. Personally I see no point for this in the game and if Nintendo really wanted to give out some free demos then they should have just used the Wii Shop channel to give them for free download onto the Wii console.

Something else new to the Smash formula is the ability to build your own unique stages from sets of parts. This will allow you to create more unique levels and also send them from one person to the other using the Wi-Fi network. The stage builder is slightly lacking on parts to actually build levels with however giving very few possibilities for what levels can be build which is really disappointing a probably a mistake on the part of Nintendo as it had the possibility to be a very promising feature.

Keep in mind as you play that it is possible to take screenshots at anytime during a battle simply by pausing the game. It is also possible to record your battles for further viewing.

Overall Super Smash Bros. Brawl is one of the best games to be released on the Nintendo Wii console and one of the best games Nintendo has actually released in the last few years. It has a little of everything and has enough replay value to keep you playing for awhile. Online play as well as the stage builder features in the game could use work. There is plenty to collect and plenty of challenges to complete. For those who enjoyed previous Super Smash Bros. games then this is a must and even if you haven't played any previous in the series then you can still pick the game up and enjoy it.

Review: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Part 2

One of the main points when it comes to Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the multiplayer action within the game. Of course the new online brawls only add to the popularity of the game creating the possibility to battle with friends who could be on the opposite side of the country. Nintendo has gone out of their way this time to give us everything possibly imaginable when it comes to multiplayer and they've made it one of the more prominent features within the game.

Even if you don't have an online connection you can enjoy the many modes of multiplayer for you and your friends playing on the same Wii console. They range from just your basic brawl with differing rules like timed matches or matches with a set number of stocks to determine the winner. Of course you can play through any of the forty-one stages and play as any of the thirty-five fighters in the game. An interesting feature included within the game is the ability to add your name to a list of players on the game. This will allow you and your friends to add your names and create your own custom control scheme to fit your own personal preferences.

Want to get a little more technical with your battles then you might want to try adding some special rules. This isn't a completely new concept as it was present in melee. Giant or small battles should be familiar to those who played melee and they're back once again in Brawl adding another level of fun to the multiplayer action itself. Keep in mind that all these modes are playable with a single player playing against computer opponents at different skill level. This could be good practice for when you do get around to playing against your friends as well as skilled players over Wifi.

There are multiple other modes to keep you and your friends entertained including tournament mode which is a mode that allows up to thirty-two players compete against each other. Another very similar mode called rotation allows you to brawl with up to sixteen players rotating who plays in each brawl adding a bit more variety for when you have more then four players at one time.

Moving right on to the online portion of multiplayer. Utilizing the built in Wifi connection of the Nintendo Wii console in an attempt to bring us seamless gameplay with players across the country. However on opening day the online service was less then seamless due to the fact that the servers running the game couldn't handle the massive amount of players causing disconnections of all kinds. For the most of us we couldn't even get online operating properly until days after the release. Even now there are still quite a few flaws in connections over wifi which include disconnections and massive amount of lag even when it comes to players living right next door to each other.

With all these flaws aside online is made up of two basic modes. One allowing you to play with people you know by exchanging friend codes and entering them into each others friend list which will allow you to see when each other are online and when others are looking for games. Playing with friends includes basic brawls as well as some other modes which I'll go into a little more detail on in the final part of this review. The second mode included online is the ability to play against anyone who happens to be looking. You won't know the names of your challengers during this mode. There is no rating system or anything of the like in Brawl which is quite lacking leaving no real proof of any victories leaving the mode a little lacking.

Nintendo went through quite a bit of trouble to make the game comfortable for players of all kinds which is why they added in multiple control schemes. Including the original Gamecube controller which stuck to the same control scheme as was used in melee which makes the game easy for long time players of the previous installment to pick up and play without having to focus on learning the controls. Of course they've added the Wii Remote and Nunchuck as well as the Wii Remote on its own as new control schemes. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck seems to feel very similar to the Gamecube controls while the Wii Remote on its own forces you to hold it on its side which in fact is lacking on buttons. The last controller that can be used with the game is the Classic Controller used for Virtual Console games. With the large amount of buttons on the Classic Controller giving it a similar control scheme to the Gamecube controller as well.

During Brawls there are of course other returning elements like familiar items as well as all new items. There are of course the returning Pokeballs which summon a Pokemon helper to aid you in battle. There are another item similar to this call assist trophies which summon other characters from the game universe to aid you in battle. One of the newest and most helpful concepts in battle as the floating orb objects known as Smash Balls. By being the one to break these with a series of attacks you'll be able to unleash your fighters most powerful move, the Final Smash. Keep in mind that when these appear it will soon become all out war in an attempt to be the one to break the ball. Also keep in mind that even after breaking it that before using it the power of the Final Smash can be passed on by taking a large amount of damage making the ball fair game again. Every characters Final Smash is different meaning that you'll have to master each of them if you're to be able to utilize them properly in battle.

Multiplayer is one of the more prominent modes in the game yet in my personal opinion the online modes in the game could have used some work and weren't exactly ready to go live when the game was released. Either this or Nintendo wasn't prepared for the huge outcome of players to pick up the game on the first day. However it should have been expected by how much they were readying us for its release and just how much they made us wait. Even with the online mode a bit lacking the game still had plenty of offline multiplayer fun to be had and made the game work for close to anyone with the many control schemes.

Review: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Part 1

After months of waiting and multiple delays it finally arrived, the game that all Wii owners had been waiting on the edge of their seats for, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As the third installment in the Super Smash Brothers franchise you could be sure to expect even more all out battle between everyones favorite Nintendo characters and this time were even got two third party characters to add a little more color to the mix. For this first part of the review I will be focusing on the single player action in the game.

Why not start off with the mode that should be most familiar to most of us, Classic Mode. This is very much the same as in melee and most other fighting games for that matter. Through this mode you will be fighting through twelve rounds of brawls with a variety of different characters making appearances and trying to get in your way. At the end of each time through classic you will be faced by a familiar foe, Master Hand. For those familiar with previous Super Smash Brothers games then this wouldn't have been the first time that you've had a run in with this opponent. Like all other single player modes in the game there are multiple difficulty levels ranging from easy to insane which is the hardest difficulty in the game. You will eventually be required to fight through Classic Mode with all the available fighters from characters available from the start of the game as well as the many unlockable characters.

Speaking of characters lets go into a little more detail on the area before moving on. At the start of the game you will have fifteen characters at your disposal. That may not seem like many however there are also twenty other unlockable fighters that won't be available to you at the start of the game. There are always multiple ways to unlock characters however they are all available through adventure mode which is yet another single player mode to keep you playing.

Adventure mode, or The Subspace Emissary which is it's full title, is more or less the storyline in the game. It will allow you to see connections between all the characters in the game and let you see how the story of the evil group known as the Subspace Emissary who try and take over the entire world. Of course the hero characters in the game such as Mario, Link, and Kirby will be trying to stop this from happening while villain characters such as Bowser, Ganondorf, and Wario will be trying to edge them along a little more. For the most part in adventure mode you'll be playing through a series of side scrolling levels fighting off the enemies who get in your way. Every so often you will also be required to take part in a boss fight which could end up being another character playable in the game or a character completely unique to adventure mode. Keep in mind that all characters unlockable in the game are unlockable through adventure mode which is also the easiest way of unlocking many of them.

The last of the single player modes that I'll be talking about for now is the event mode. In event mode you will have a series of objectives to complete within a single fight between usually already set fighters. These objectives could be anywhere from simply finishing off an opponent to having to finish an opponent off at just the perfect time in order to complete the event. By the end of event mode you'll have unlocked forty different events however you may need to complete one or more other modes before they all become available to you. Once again all of these events have multiple difficulty levels however this time there are only three, easy, normal, and hard.

There are a few other single player modes like training mode, which really speaks for itself, as well as a few more minor modes which I will talk about in one of the later parts of the review. There are also a few unlockable modes which I won't go into detail on as to not spoil them for those of you who don't yet own the game or are yet to unlock them. However in the overall stand point for just the single player game play alone there is plenty to do for those who don't have anyone else to play or no online connection and even for those looking for a challenging game with plenty to do on the side.

News: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

After multiple delays it's finally here, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the game Nintendo Wii owners have been waiting months for. With tons of features and the long awaited online battles Brawl should prove to be one of the top games on the Wii, for the time being at least. With the appearance of numerous familiar faces from previous Smash Bros. titles as well as all new faces to the battlefront. Numerous modes of battle for both single and multi player and of course the much awaited online play which will allow you to play against opponents all across the globe. Four different controllers can be used giving you the ability to choose your own personal favorite which may or may not give you an edge on your opponents. Lots of extras such as collectible trophies, stickers, and all kinds of other goodies should give the game quite a bit of replay value for you to get your moneys worth out of.

I haven't picked up my copy of the game just yet but you can bet that I will be picking it up first thing in the morning and you can expect a nice detailed review in the coming week.

Review: Sonic & the Secret Rings

Sonic the Hedgehog games have been on a spiral downwards ever since they first hit a 3D platform. We saw the worst yet on the Xbox 360 and Playstation3 awhile back however it wasn't the last Sonic Team would have up their sleeve. Their next attempt would be on the Nintendo Wii under the name of Sonic and the Secret Rings. However it wouldn't be much of an improvement considering that the controls are highly flawed and the game itself gets very repetitive in no time at all.

Let's look at the game in parts however, starting with one of the up points of the game, the storyline. Sonic Team actually came up with a bit of a unique idea this time around. Sonic finds himself inside the pages of a book thanks to the help of a genie of a ring he finds named, Shahra. The world in side the book in in danger of being destroyed because of an evil genie by the name of the Erazor Djin. It seems that the coming of Sonic to that world has been predicted and that it will be up to him to save the stories of the world from being completely destroyed. Sonic won't be the only familiar face within the game either as some lookalike characters who Sonic will often mistake for his friends will also make appearances. The storyline elements are depicted in a bit of a unique way, by unique I don't exactly mean that it's a brilliant style but it's different from what you're used to seeing. This unique style I'm referring to is that most cinematic scenes in the game are depicted through a comic book style instead of the usual animated format. This is an attempt to stick to the storybook theme of the game and it is an interesting idea that gives the game a little more character that sets it apart from the previous Sonic games of it's kind.

Moving right along to the game play now and once again it isn't bad. That is when the controls are actually cooperating but I won't get into that just yet. The game play throughout most of the game is that Sonic is on a set track and that you'll be moving him right and left in order to avoid obstacles. Throughout the game there are eight different worlds which each have a series of missions to complete. The first mission you will have unlocked for each world will of course be to just generally make it through the level in one piece. After clearing that general mission you will be able to unlock more difficult missions which a few examples of would be, finishing the level in a certain amount of time, collection a certain amount of rings, or collecting no rings at all. Of course rings return as the general form of health in the game like in previous games before it, as long as you have one ring in your possession you'll be able to take damage and not die. Of course playing through so many missions on a single level is going to get quite repetitive and fast. There are two new abilities added to the arsenal of Sonic for this game, they're known as speed break and time break. These abilities can be used to do pretty much what their names imply, speed Sonic up for a short period of time or slow time down allowing Sonic to painlessly avoid difficult obstacles. In order to use these abilities you will be required to collect magic orbs which are scattered throughout the levels much like rings.

Leveling up abilities, now this is one thing I would have never wanted to see in a Sonic game and it's on thing I never want to see them include again. This only adds to the painful amount of replay value of the game. When you start the game you won't even have Sonic's full speed until you manage to level his stats up. You can do this simply by completing missions or add more by killing additional enemies throughout each level. This only adds to the annoying repetitive nature of the game which I mentioned above as it's impossible to max your stats by just clearing each level a single time forcing you to have to play through the levels multiple times to even come close to maxing.

Close to each world had a mission where you would be fighting against a boss. Some boss fights were a bit more repetitive then others as for most of them you would be chasing them along a path just waiting to get in a hit every now and then. After most boss fights you will collect what is known as a World Ring which will be your main objective to collect in order for you to advance through the game.

Now for something that I've been putting off talking about for this game through the entire review so far, the controls. I have to admit at first the controls don't seem horrible but once you start getting into harder levels you will begin to notice just how unresponsive the controls can be. The main control scheme of the game will be tilting the remote left and right in order to move Sonic from the right and left of the screen. As I mentioned before Sonic will be running on a preset path so you'll have very little control where exactly he's going except for moving right and left. Of course you can still jump by pressing the 2 button on the remote. Keep in mind that when playing this you'll be playing with only the remote and you'll be holding it on it's side using it almost like a steering wheel. Attacking is another slightly unresponsive element. You'll attack by flicking the controller forward while in mid-air. This it the term the game itself uses, flicking, but a more fitting word that I myself would use would just be any sudden movement of the controller since it all works the same. However the problem comes in when the movement doesn't register. That also works in the reverse as sometimes it may just activate whenever you make any sudden movement even if you didn't intend it to happen. Getting Sonic to walk backwards is another problem. You are meant to be able to tilt the remote back and simply go back but it's never that simple is it? Of course not, half the time he will start to back up and then start going forward again if you tilt it back too far. There are a few other sets of controls that are awkward and often unresponsive but I'm not even going to go into them as I believe that I got my point forward already.

The graphics really aren't all too impressive and are really just identical to those we've grown used to from Sonic games from the previous generation. The music all happens to be lyrical music which is another thing which has become common throughout Sonic games over the last few year. Some of the music is really great and addictive but some is just alright and can actually take away from the level although for the most part the music is a plus.

It doesn't end there though, Sonic Team also decided to try their hand at a multi player mode. Now I bet you're thinking, alright some one on one racing with my buddies, sorry but no. Instead they've gone Mario Party on use and added a party mode to the game. That's right they called it party mode seems like they didn't even try to hide the fact that they obviously copied the idea from Nintendo's hit series, Mario Party. There's absolutely nothing special here and unless you have someone to play along with then this mode isn't even worth wasting your time on. There are multiple modes each with different methods of playing but it would all come down to playing a short mini game in each. Of course there was a section that allowed you to play just each mini game separately but most of the mini games weren't a whole lot of fun and just made better utilization of the remotes capabilities.

Overall Sega tried to put an end to their long line of mediocre Sonic games and I am sorry to say they didn't quite do it. The game was an improvement from Sonic the Hedgehog on the Xbox 360 and Playstation3 however it still didn't match up to what we all remember Sonic being capable of. For hardcore Sonic fans then I would still say that it is worth a play but for those who are easily annoyed by sloppy controls then I would have to say it would be best for you to simply steer clear of this title and move on to one of the other many great games on the Wii.

News: God of War: Chains of Olympus

The prequel to one of the greatest hit games on the Playstation2 hits the PSP. Some would think that the designers may find some trouble putting out a button masher like God of War on the PSP due to the lack of control yet somehow they managed it. This time around you'll get to dive into the past of Kratos as he battles through legions of all sorts of mystical monsters once again.

Now I can't guarantee that Chains of Olympus will quite be cut out to be considered anywhere near as good as the other two in the series but it may well be a must buy on the PSP system. Of course we still have God of War 3 to look forward to but who knows when that will be here so for the time being just enjoy this nice little prequel.

Review: Killer Instinct

Now what we refer to as button mashers haven't exactly had the best response among gamers lately however there were quite a few games in the good old days that managed to pull off the magic of button mashing perfectly. One of those games was Killer Instinct on the SNES.

Killer Instinct introduced game play that allowed for endless combo chains as well as a large variety of unique characters. It was a port of an arcade title which at times the console versions wouldn't come out to be quite as fun as their arcade counterparts but that wasn't the case this time around. The game looked almost identical to that of the arcade and, except for a few minor changes, it was the exact same game but now you could play it at home whenever you wanted without coughing up quarter after quarter at the arcade.

I can't exactly say that it's an easy game that you an pick up and master in your first play. However it is more or less your average fighting game which you will need to take time to master the combo moves for each character before being able to dominate the computer opponents. Of course there are multiple difficulty levels in the game from easy to an extremly hard difficulty for those who've mastered the game.

Every good fighting game needs to have multi player. Killer Instinct is no different as it has two distinct modes of multi player. Te first of course being basic 2-Player action where you and another friend can face off against each other. That's the basics but there is also a tournament mode that will allow you a multiple friends play against each other in a series of battles. Tournament mode isn't anything too special and should just b avoided unless you have multiple people to play against. If it's just you and one other person it would be better to simply stick to the basic one on one two player mode.

Overall Killer Instinct has everything that you look for in a fighting game. Originality as well as simple controls. The multi player in the game isn't anything extraordinary but it doesn't need to be since it is just your basic fighting game after all. It's one of the best fighting games for the good old SNES and this still holds true today.