April 2007 Archives

Platform: PC
Reviewed on PC

The Freelance Police have barely finished saving the world from Reality 2.0 and they're hot on the tail of the man behind those hypnotic horrors that have plagued humanity – as well as law-enforcement dogs and rabbits. There is a blissful cult hidden on the moon, a cult so threatening that the President of the United States – Max is still "Little Buddy-in-Chief" – should see to it himself, with his laconic canine pal Sam.

Platform: PlayStation 2
Reviewed on PlayStation 2

In the far future setting of Eureka Seven, humanity is disconsolate. There is little to do to escape the mundane grind of everyday life. Only service in the military – piloting giant fighting mechs – or watching the surf-like lifting races provide an out. Sumner, yet another aimless youth with a bit of military experience, regains his purpose through lifting, battling and rediscovering the mech he once piloted.

Platform: DS
Reviewed on DS

"Edward and Alphonse lost their beloved mother when they were very young, and sought to use the forbidden alchemy technique of 'human transmutation' to bring her back to life. However, the transmutation failed; Edward lost his left leg, and Alphonse lost his entire body. Edward sacrificed his right arm to affix his brother's soul to a suit of armor. He was successful, but the price paid was high. In order to regain all that they had lost, the brothers set off on a journey, seeking the immense power of the Philosopher's Stone.

Because of his auto-mail prosthetic limbs, Edward became known as the 'Fullmetal Alchemist.'"

Platform: Xbox 360
Reviewed on Xbox 360

Frank West, freelance photographer, recently received the hottest tip of his journalistic career. Something is going down in Willamette, Colorado. Something bad. Something so bad that the National Guard has cordoned off the town, and isn't letting anyone in or out. Sensing a serious scoop, Frank hires a local pilot to take him over the blockade in a junker helicopter.

On the way into town, it becomes clear that Willamette isn't the site of riots or simple civil disobedience. Some of the town's inhabitants are just staggering slowly around the streets. Others are attacking, killing and... gnawing on Willamette's remaining population. Frank orders the pilot to put him down on the helipad at Willamette's pride and joy: The Willamette Parkview Mall. After securing the pilot's promise to return for Frank – and Frank's payment – in 72 hours, Frank heads into the mall to learn what plague has overwhelmed this Colorado town.

Platform: DS
Reviewed on DS

Two 18-year-olds, a boy and a girl, escaped a sinking cruise ship to find themselves marooned on an island. After waking up exhausted, thirsty and hungry, they wring the salt water from their clothes and set about the daily tasks of survival. Only after their simplest needs are met &ndash food, water and warmth – can they begin to explore the island and plot their escape back to civilization.

Platform: Wii
Reviewed on Wii

"Mama says you're now big enough to cook your own food! I'll teach you to prepare delicious dishes from 10 different nations. Then you'll put your skills to the test and cook off against a friend. Ready to show Mama what you're made of?"

Platforms: PSP, PC and DS
Reviewed on PSP

The trading card game that allows comic fans to engage in super-powered battles has made it to Sony's handheld, allowing PSP owners everywhere to battle online or hone their deck construction techniques and practice against an AI opponent. Puzzles and tutorials expand the possible trading card play beyond matches against both human and AI foes.

Platform: PS2
Reviewed on PS2

Sing along with thirty pop songs in this karaoke-style game that lets you test your vocal skills alone or play vocal party games with your friends.

Platform: PC
Reviewed on PC

Monarch, the Butterfly King, is being tormented by a wizard bent on embedding all his butterfly subjects in amber. Only by solving difficult magical puzzles, creating potions and destroying sinister locks and metal plates can Monarch free his subjects and combat the wizard's entry into Monarch's glade.

Platforms: Xbox 360 and PC
Reviewed on Xbox 360

Tommy is a troubled auto mechanic and war veteran, convinced that if only he can escape the Cherokee reservation he can turn his life around. Fortunately for Earth, Tommy is in the right place at the right time. That place just happens to be a bar on the reservation. Tommy is busy arguing with his grandfather and defending his girlfriend Jen from a pair of angry drunks at last call, when aliens abduct the entire bar.

Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PC, PSP and DS
Reviewed on Xbox 360

It's not enough that a plane crash at age nine has haunted Lara Croft, Countess of Abbingdon, for all of her adventuring life. Now, treasure hunter Lara Croft must revisit that tragic past. After both Lara and her mother miraculously survived that crash, Lara's mother was annihilated in an accident involving an ancient powerful artifact. Recently, Lara's competitors have joined forces with an old friend to acquire a related artifact with untold destructive potential.

Only by investigating a myth held in common by all the world's cultures, trekking around the globe and jumping a lot of bottomless pits can Lara learn what destroyed her mother and thwart her dangerously narcissistic competition.

Platforms: PSP and PlayStation 2
Reviewed on PSP

After saving the universe countless times, Ratchet & Clank are finally enjoying that hard-earned vacation on the beach. When a little girl pesters the duo for an autograph and an action photograph, how could Ratchet or Clank refuse? Of course, when that same little girl is kidnapped by robots, Ratchet & Clank get drawn into a mystery revolving around the tiny, legendary ancient robots called the Technomites, reportedly responsible for the galaxy's most advanced technology. But are the tiny technological geniuses a boon to the galaxy, or a terrifying threat?