Nearly a year after its Japanese release, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is finally ready to take on North America, after an amazing success in Japan. And it’s not hard to see the secret to the game’s success: an incredibly enthralling RPG spreads out before you, with more options, side quests, and replay value than ever before. The DS has already featured DQIV and DQV (as well as DQVI in Japan), but this one blows them all away. If you’re looking for a solid, lengthy RPG, DQIX is the answer to those long summer days.

You begin the game as a Celestrial, an angel-like being tasked with watching over the mortal world and tending to the great tree Yggdrasil, all while awaiting the call of the Almighty. Well, nothing is ever easy in good game, and you’re soon forced to walk the mortal world, helping people and gaining strength to return to your heavenly abode. Since the main character is the epitome of the generic, silent protagonist, you aren’t treated to a lot of personal interaction, and what little there is comes across as one-sided. But the story is less about your personality-deficient character and more about the world you’ll explore, and the themes of mistakes and redemption prevalent throughout. Each city has its own distinct personality, as well as a handful of problems that need to be sorted out. Some characters have their share of clichés, but they’re likable and fun to watch, easily pulling you into the narrative of each locale you visit.

Meticulously construct the appearance of each and every one of your party members.

What the developers have done with DQIX is take the classic RPG formula and spice it up with enough new features and skills to make a nigh endlessly entertaining game. Dragon Quest veterans will see plenty of familiar items, monsters, and themes–it feels like catching up with an old friend. The best aspect of the game, though, is the new highly customizable character creation. After meticulously composing a character’s appearance, you can select one of six jobs (with more jobs available later in the game after finishing side quests) and set off slaying monsters. Eventually you’ll have the option of changing jobs as you wish, and this is where the real fun begins. Want a party of four thieves? Go ahead. Want an all magic-user party? Make it happen. The level of freedom in forming your party–and subsequently, your approach to the game as a whole–is simply amazing, providing an incredible amount of variability and possibilities all within one game file. It’s easy to spend hours and hours flipping through jobs just to test them all, or challenge yourself with a particularly tricky set of characters. Though you drop to level one when changing jobs, you retain any abilities you’ve learned, and you can switch back to your previous high-level job whenever you wish, so there’s little reason not to experiment.

Control your party members directly or set a tactic for them to follow.

Every job has a number of skill trees that grant you attributes as you level up and earn more attribute points, giving you better skills with a weapon or other abilities you can activate in battle. Experimenting with jobs and collecting a wide range of abilities is both useful and addicting; trying to form the perfect fighter from a mass of skills, abilities, and spells is just one of the many ways you’ll be sucked into the nuances of DQIX. If you’re a more casual player, don’t worry, this game is significantly more accessible to new players than many other RPGs. Since the game expects you to be switching classes often–and having your level fluctuate accordingly–bosses don’t require obsessive grinding or elaborate tactics to defeat. Bosses are still challenging, of course, but you’ll rarely be stuck in one area. Furthermore, there are no random encounters in this game. Instead, you can see enemies walking around, and avoid them if you’re in a hurry. As a result, the game’s difficulty and pacing is far more relaxed, encouraging you to play around with the many other features the game offers.

Needless to say, DQIX is packed with content that is sure to keep you playing for weeks. In addition to exploring the various jobs and abilities, the game is packed with side quests, ranging from simple fetch quests to specific and elaborate tests of your skill in a particular job. Some quests do require a rather tedious amount of repetition and chance, but since these quests are optional, you can ignore them at your leisure. You can even download new quests, giving you plenty to do even after finishing the main game. If that doesn’t occupy too much of your time, you can try your hand at creating items, weapons, and armor with the alchemy pot. By collecting ingredients and alchemy recipes from around the world, you can craft items and equipment, ranging from basic medicine items to valuable weapons and armor. Ingredients aren’t found easily, but creating items is surprisingly addicting and useful–it’s hard not to get attached to the alchemy pot.

The Quester's Rest in Stornway: your main hub for multiplayer and wi-fi shop access.

The other biggest feature of DQIX is the multiplayer functionality. You can join three friends via local wireless to go on quests, fight monsters, and gain experience. Unfortunately this is only for local wireless, no wi-fi, but it’s still a fun way to connect with friends and quest as a team rather than solo. Furthermore, by using canvas mode, the DS will automatically connect with anyone else currently using canvas mode in order to exchange treasure maps (leading to rare bosses and of course, treasure), once again greatly extending the length of the game. Though the feature might be a little more difficult to take advantage of in less densely populated areas, the concept is incredibly clever, bringing together gamers for the love of the game.

Not surprisingly, the game uses a traditional control scheme with few bells or whistles. The game gives you the option of using the stylus, but it’s so imprecise and awkward on the small text that there’s really no point in using it. The old fashioned controls aren’t broken, and there’s no need to fix them.

They say the clothes make the man, and in this case, they make you into an unstoppable slime-slaying machine.

Akira Toriyama’s distinctive art style is in full bloom with DQIX. 3D on the DS often has a rather blocky or stiff appearance, but DQIX uses a fantastic mix of 2D to add details, effectively generating an elaborate and gorgeous world on the DS. Add to this some fun monster designs and the extensive amount of customization you can attach to all of your characters–you can actually see the armor that you equip them with, even things like blue jeans or skirts–and you’ve got a DS game that is both stylistically and technically gorgeous. What better way to complement the visuals than with a lively, bouncy soundtrack? The music has a wonderful sense of nostalgia to it, steeped in the aural tradition of RPGs, all while matching the tone of the game, whatever area you may be in.

Dragon Quest IX is the kind of RPG that any gamer can sink their teeth into. Taking into account the main story, side quests, job changes, treasure maps, and of course multiplayer, there is an absurd amount of content packed into this handheld game. Easily the best DS game to come along so far this year, no DS library should go without this wholly addictive and charming game.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Set after the events of the previous two Blue Dragon games, Awakened Shadow continues developer Mistwalker’s RPG series with another installment on the DS. While the action-RPG gameplay and multiplayer options may entice some players, this game fails to show off any truly unique or exciting features.

You play as a mysterious boy or girl, awakened from an ancient chamber, only to find that the blue shadows that everyone has come to rely on are gone–except for yours. What follows is an adventure to discover the cause of the shadows’ disappearance, as well as your true identity. The story isn’t terribly exciting and the dialogue has plenty of stiff moments, but there are some interesting encounters and comical scenes. Unfortunately a lot of the details of the story rely upon the events of Blue Dragon and Blue Dragon Plus, which may leave players new to the series a little lost. The main plot is still clearly explained in this game, but for the full benefit of the story you’ll need some experience with the franchise.

Form your party based upon character strengths and shadow affinity.

In essence, Awakened Shadow is an action-RPG; when exploring a dungeon, you can see enemies and run up to attack them directly, and they can do the same. You can also block attacks to reduce damage, or dodge out of the way of the attack, though the dodging mechanic could be tighter and smoother. More importantly, though, in Awakened Shadow you do not level up your character, but rather the shadow that he is using. Each shadow (six in all) can boost your stats and allow you to use skills–akin to spells in other games, letting you heal or attack with an elemental affinity. Because only shadows level up, it’s easy to rearrange your party often; you don’t have to worry about each of the twelve usable characters falling behind, only the six shadows. Each character has a shadow that they work better with, but you can mix and match to take advantage of skill sets and plan ahead for tough fights. Though seemingly simple, the character and shadow system in Awakened Shadow offers a lot of depth and possibilities.

The other major aspect of the game is crafting weapons, armor, and accessories. Leveling up your shadows is important, but forging a powerful weapon and upgrading it is just as vital, and can be surprisingly addicting. Discovering new weapon combinations and then managing your resources to develop the strongest weapons available is a lot of fun, and also rather time consuming. You can add in special effects to your equipment, such as attack boosts or elemental powers such as fire or ice, and by combining the weapon with weapons of the same style (one-handed, two-handed, or martial arts weapon) you can increase its power. Finding rare and valuable equipment is difficult, but often critical to your success in battle. By taking on some intense boss fights or special dungeons within doors in the game’s main city, you’re rewarded with rare equipment and items. Additionally, you can hook up with two friends via local wireless or online multiplayer to tackle some tough bosses and reap the treasures that follow. Online gameplay is limited to people on your friend list, but it keeps the game going even when you’ve finished the main game, and allows you to continue to build the strengths of your character.

Skills are lined up at the bottom of the touchscreen; choose your skills from any available shadow.

Unfortunately, raising your shadow’s level and foraging for better equipment is often forced upon you during the game, as some bosses are impossibly difficult without grinding for a while. The erratic jump in difficulty from one area to another can be unfairly steep, forcing you to pause your progress and raise levels. Oftentimes merely a few levels will suffice, but finding the need for grinding at all is a pain. Hitting a wall that requires tedious repetition to overcome is rarely satisfying. Furthermore, the AI of your two computer partners can be a little shaky at times. It’s risky to rely on them for using skills, but often necessary since every time you use a skill, there’s a cool down time before you can act again. They have the good sense to use a healing spell when their health is dangerously low, but generally won’t get out of the way of a devastating attack, often leaving them vulnerable. Watching out for your teammates can be as difficult as simply fighting an enemy.

You have the option of using the stylus or the regular buttons to control the game, though both have their benefits and problems. With the stylus, you’ll touch where you want your character to move, tap on an enemy to attack, and tap your character to defend. It’s a somewhat awkward system and is often not suited for fast-paced combat. However, the stylus is far more efficient when navigating menus or using skills–just tap on the skill icon to unleash the spell. Conversely, the buttons provide more comfortable movement and attacking, but to use a skill, you have to hold A, then select the skill by moving left or right–not nearly as convenient as the stylus option. It is nice to have two options for the controls and you can easily experiment to see which one you prefer. In either case, however, the limited camera control can be annoying. You are able to rotate the camera around your character, but it still provides a limited range of vision, which can be troublesome when watching out for enemies. Once you’ve got the basics down, though, the controls are workable.

Skills require a wait time before you can use them again; watch the bar on the bottom screen.

The game’s fully 3D environments have a good amount of detail, though they are often repeated as you have to retread various dungeons. The characters look great too, especially the playable character, whose facial features and hair you can customize. On rare occasion you’ll see a full motion video cutscene that looks great, though the disparity between this and the in-game graphics can be a little jarring. On the music side, the soundtrack is noticeably good, reminiscent of classic epic RPG song styles. It’s hard to resist setting off on an adventure when listening to the bouncy tunes in Awakened Shadow. There is very little voice acting, though even the small amount you hear might be a little too much. Since it’s heard so infrequently it’s not much of a distraction, but it’s a far cry from the quality of the soundtrack.

Since the game encourages grinding and repeating areas for rare items, Awakened Shadow can last for hours upon hours. Just finishing the main quest can last around twenty hours, but there’s plenty to do even after finishing off the final boss. With extra bosses and multiplayer to pad the main quest, there’s plenty of content once you work around the difficulty spikes.

Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow is a fairly solid RPG, but doesn’t quite distinguish itself from the hordes of other RPGs already on the DS. The customization is addictive and the multiplayer is a nice opportunity to connect with friends, though repetition sets in heavily. Fans of the series will most likely enjoy this latest entry, but for most DS owners, Awakened Shadow is just another blip on the RPG radar.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Sin & Punishment, though not released outside of Japan on the N64, earned much attention on the Virtual Console for its frantic, fast paced shooting action, all in the setting of a futuristic, monster filled world. Now, a decade after the original’s release, a sequel returns to the on-rails shooter setting, taking place a few years after the events of the first game. For classic arcade shooting, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is a fantastic, frenetic experience.

The story is as indecipherable as the first game, which isn’t helped by the fact that there is a lot of backstory that is never properly explained. The sci-fi setting is unique and bizarre, but you’re never given a real glimpse of the world. Instead, the plot moves as if you were privy to these details, and only casually mentions the facts as you progress. You can piece together the basic storyline, but the plot isn’t given the chance to really shine. In the end, though, the thin plot isn’t much of an issue–cutscenes are generally left at the beginning and end of each stage, and even then are easily skipped. What sets Star Successor apart is the gameplay.

Like the great classic arcade games of old, the basis of Sin & Punishment’s gameplay is: destroy everything on the screen that isn’t you. The action can be completely ridiculous–in some areas you can barely see yourself for all the lasers, monsters, and robots covering the screen–but it’s also a ton of fun. Racking up long multiplier chains is immensely satisfying, and blasting apart a giant enemy crustacean is a great accomplishment. You have three basic means of attacking–rapid fire shots, charged shots, and close-range sword attacks–each of which is useful in different aspects. Your basic goal may be to shoot everything you see, but there are different means of doing it, allowing you a sense of strategy, particularly against bosses. And there are no shortage of bosses. Stages are long, and generally contain several boss encounters culminating in a climactic couple of seriously tough fights, each more impressive–both visually and challenge-wise–than the last. Additionally, stages feature different portions that keep the gameplay mixed. Generally you are shooting into the distance, but some areas have you side-scrolling across the screen, or moving throughout a large open environment. There’s no chance you’ll get stuck in a rut with so much variety.

Expect monumental boss battles (and monumental difficulty).

The difficulty of the gameplay is a bit of an odd situation. Some sequences, such as boss fights late in the game, can be absurdly difficult, punishing you brutally for every mistake, and giving you little reward for your victories. However, there are several aspects that make the game easily manageable. For one, dodging will not only allow you to move quickly, but you’re immune while dodging; screen covering attacks aren’t quite so insane when you can continue to dodge around the screen. Additionally, there are plenty of checkpoints throughout each stage, and nearly always before and after boss fights. Coupled with the fact that there are infinite continues (unlike the original game) means that you’ll never be forced to restart the game or retread long portions repeatedly. It may not net you the greatest high score, but it’ll allow you to inch your way through the game. The game has plenty of hurdles, but it also allows you to progress through each, one at a time.

You can play as either Isa or Kachi, and while they have the same general controls, there are some small differences that prove themselves beneficial and detrimental, depending on the situation. Isa has a single powerful charge attack that expands in a large radius as well as manual lock-on aiming, while Kachi’s charge attack can be spread out to lock onto multiple targets, and she has auto lock-on. The two attacks are surprisingly distinct, and offer different strategic choices, giving you a good incentive to play the game at least twice to try out everything. In addition, there is a co-op mode, where a second player can join in but only with regular shooting. The second player doesn’t have an actual character on the screen, can’t use sword attacks, and can’t use charge attacks, but is still immensely helpful, especially when you’re focusing on your survival. All of these options add a little spice and replay value to the game, helping to flesh out the experience.

Switching to a side perspective spices up the gameplay; you'll still need to watch out for enemies in the background, though.

The game allows for four different control schemes, but there’s no reason to not use the standard Wii remote and nunchuk set up. Using IR controls on a fast-paced shooter like this is a perfect match, making the gameplay flow perfectly without any convoluted controls. The Wii Zapper provides a similar fluidity, but is not quite as loose as having the two controllers separate. The classic controller and Gamecube controller, however, simply do not compare to the ease of IR. Two control sticks may be more familiar for many gamers, but there are few game genres that benefit more fully from the Wii’s controls than shooters. Plus, if any of the buttons bother you, you can customize any of the control schemes to give you the easiest and best setup.

With so many lasers, bomb blasts, and enemies constantly covering the screen, it can be hard to get a good look at the graphics, but when you get the chance, you’ll be blown away. The environments are gorgeous, particularly the more exotic levels, such as a tunnel under the ocean, or a boiling volcano stage. The enemies may begin to simply look like targets after a bit of playing, but they’re equally well designed and show off the elaborate sci-fi aesthetic. The character models for Isa and Kachi, however, don’t quite compare–they look much more rough and awkward. Similarly, the voice acting is painfully bad, and doesn’t even seem to match the characters. The rest of the music, though, is wonderful, giving off an old-school arcade vibe that perfectly matches the frantic gameplay, providing you the perfect rhythm for shooting down enemies.

Undersea tunnels have never looked so good.

The most notable issue with Star Successor is the game’s length. Even while struggling through the tough portions and replaying stages, the game only lasts a few hours. Online scoreboards push you to do your best and show it off to the rest of the world, but outside of perfectionists, there isn’t much incentive to strive for a perfect score. With two characters, varying difficulty levels, and the ability to replay single stages, there is enough to keep you replaying the game multiple times, but even so, the game will struggle to justify a full price tag for most gamers.

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is the perfect game for twitch gamers. Harkening back to the arcade shooters of the past, this on-rails shooter is a frantic and wild ride through shadowy forests and flying fortresses. It’s not a long game, and the story still makes little to no sense, but the action is both insane and insanely satisfying, with enough challenges to make you want to replay the game again and again.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Developer Cing is no stranger to detective games on the DS, with Trace Memory and Hotel Dusk already under their belt. Again continues their gaming tradition with another mystery in the palm of your hand. Unfortunately this title doesn’t quite stack up to their previous efforts–an overall forgettable experience awaits you with Again.

Mystery games are story-centric games, and Again spins an decent tale, though it often relies too heavily on clichés and tired character tropes. Early on the stereotypical characters are distracting–the characters are so bland that it’s hard to develop any investment in the plot. The pacing is far too slow for a story-centric game, so often dragging through repetitive dialogue. Though much of the game revolves around realistic scenarios, Special Agent Jonathan has an inexplicable power to glimpse the past, which is how he is able to solve the murders. It’s a little jarring to have such a bizarre ability amidst the realism of a modern day detective story, and further illustrates the disjointed nature of the story. Eventually there are a few good twists and turns, but not quite enough to resuscitate the plot.

The Eye of Providence; the key to this whole mystery.

Again is a point and click detective game, meaning you’ll spend a lot of time reading dialogue, interspersed with sequences where you hunt for clues and the truth of the Providence murders from nineteen years ago. The heavy reading would be more tolerable if it were well written or at the very least more succinct, but as it is you’ll be tapping through pages and pages of dialogue, despite the fact that important clues are bolded for your convenience anyway. Like other games in this genre, you’re stuck talking to people over and over just to find the right piece of dialogue that will progress the game. Once you’re at the crime scene, Jonathan’s ability to see the past allows you to compare the present with the past (each on one screen) and make changes to the present to reflect the events of the past. It’s akin to a “spot the differences” puzzle, but more rewarding, though most scenes have rather obvious differences and truly challenging puzzles are few and far between. Like any good detective story, half the fun is just trying to figure it all out before you reach the end–unfortunately the other half proves to be a little too slow and boring.

To control Again, you’ll hold the DS like a book (left and right handed options are available) and you’ll use the stylus to sort through menus, continue dialogue, or search through crime scenes. Additionally, there are a few stylus-based puzzles that have you sliding and tapping the screen. For the most part it’s straightforward; the only odd control choice comes from moving within crime scenes. For right-handed people, you’ll use the D-pad at the bottom of the DS (when holding it sideways), and left-handed people will use the ABXY buttons. It’s not particularly comfortable, and is restricted to a fairly simple forward, back, and turn system that can feel clunky, especially when trying to navigate a room quickly.

Recreate past crime scenes to catch a glimpse of what really happened.

The game uses a rather laughably silly graphics system of real life actors as characters, over-laid with a sketchy art style to make it appear somewhat more video game-esque, though it doesn’t help the goofy appearance. Each character has a handful of simple animations that you’ll see all too often over the course of the game, and only make the graphics more cheesy. There are a few longer cutscenes that look a little better, but still look out of place and awkward. What little music there is is repeated so often throughout the game, you’re likely to tune it out as you play. The game lasts around nine or ten hours, but coupled with the fact that there is little replay value–the enjoyment of the game is in solving the mystery, not replaying it–the game doesn’t quite justify a $30 price tag.

Again doesn’t have a lot going for it. Nothing stands out about the game, aside from the cheesy presentation and weak characterization. Though the story has a few good twists and turns for a murder mystery, Again is a far cry from the quality of Cing’s other games.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars

Outside of DSiWare, the Nintendo DSi has had depressingly few exclusive or even semi-exclusive software. Foto Showdown tries to fill that space by using the DSi’s camera to “find” monsters in pictures, allowing you to battle with them in Pokémon-style duels. With an awkward gimmick and weak gameplay, though, this is far from the shot in the arm the DSi needs in order to establish itself.

The story is about as barebones as you can get: young boy doesn’t know what’s going on, but is suddenly out to develop the strength to defeat opponents and save the world. In one sense the extremely light plot allows you to jump right into the gameplay. In another sense, it reveals how hastily put together the game is as a whole, and reveals a weak attempt at giving rhyme and reason to the game. Without any kind of city to explore or even other characters to talk to outside of the scripted scenes, the story leaves a lot to be desired.

Battles take place on a small grid; move back and forth for the best attack position.

The gimmick in Foto Showdown is using the camera to take pictures that then turn into monsters which is, not surprisingly, overly simplified and lacking any real consistency. You’ll earn stronger camera guns as the game progresses, and can purchase various levels of capsules, though even two completely different set ups can yield the same monster, making these details rather superfluous. The monster is based on the dominant color of the picture, but there’s still a high level of randomness that can lead to the same picture producing a wide variety of monsters, or several different images producing the same monster. The gimmick grows stale almost as soon as it begins, and rather than being a unique way of finding monsters, it is more of a frustratingly luck-based system that makes forming a proper monster deck tedious and slow. Though there are over one hundred monsters in the game, you’re more likely to run into the same dozen or so unless you pour a ton of money into capsules.

Battles are carried out on simple linear grids. Your side of the field has three spaces for the three active monsters you can have in battle, and the opponent also has three spots–that’s it. Using only a six space grid sounds a little too simplified, and while it does limit your options, there are some strategies to take into account. For example, occupying an enemy space prevents them from bringing in reserve monsters, making the fight much easier on you. Unfortunately some aspects are incredibly unbalanced; distance attacks are ridiculously valuable and overpowered, as are healing abilities. When fighting a team of healers, battles can stretch on nigh endlessly as they simply heal every wound you deliver. Additionally status effect attacks, such as paralysis or confusion, are frustratingly effective and can easily drain you of your attacks. You do have the advantage in that you can use items, but the ability fails to breathe life into the monotonous, frustrating battles.

Attacks have different range; use distance attacks from the back positions to keep your monsters safe.

The game tries to augment the tedious pace of battles with monster affinities and limited use of attacks–each attack can only be used a certain number of times, so reserving your powerful attacks can be useful. Each monster type has strengths and weaknesses–for example, bird monsters are weak to wind attacks–which helps immensely in defeating monsters quickly. However, you do not know what monsters your opponent is bringing until the battle starts, and early on in the game, you can only bring two or three into battle, preventing you from bringing a wide range ready for anything. Strategy falls by the wayside, though, as battles generally devolves into who can attack first and attack hardest. As such, battles can be tediously repetitive.

There are no stylus controls for Foto Showdown, only the D-pad and regular buttons, so controlling the game is no problem. The presentation, however, leaves a lot to be desired. There are only a handful of sprites and static backgrounds that are repeated over and over–some monsters are palette swaps of others–and with no environments to explore or even much scenery, the game’s visuals can only be described as boring. Similarly, the music is generic and repetitive, failing to incite any energy into this bland game.

You'll earn stronger camera guns and bullets as you progress; try different combinations to find monsters.

If you can appreciate the haphazard manner of finding monsters and the simultaneously tedious and boring battles, Foto Showdown does have a lot of replay value. With over one hundred monsters to capture, there’s a lot of experimentation possible. Furthermore you can replay any battle you’ve beaten, though you’ll only earn half the reward money that you received originally. Otherwise, finishing the game once will last you around ten or twelve hours–not a terribly worthwhile investment.

Foto Showdown is an uninspired game that rests too heavily on an uninteresting gimmick. With some more polish the gameplay would at least be more passable, but as it is, there’s little reason for DSi owners to look into this one.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars

After becoming TV stars, destroying a statue of Abraham Lincoln, and saving the world from a hypnotizing maniac, Sam and Max, the Freelance Police, are back on the job, solving crimes and committing several themselves. In point-and-click adventure game fashion, you’ll use items and the environment to solve puzzles throughout time and space. The jokes are as entertaining as ever, though many puzzle solutions remain frustratingly obscure, and the poor frame rate quickly becomes a bother.

Many of the characters from the first season of Sam and Max return to crack jokes and carry out their absurd roles in the crazy world that the Freelance Police live and operate in. A few new faces add to the cast of characters, and make this game as goofy as the previous one. Every inch of the screen is packed full of jokes, puns, or visual gags–just exploring each area to see all the jokes you can find can be time-consuming. Like the first game, though, many of the jokes can be long-winded, and when they’re off the mark, the humor grows stale quickly. The story–yes, there is a story amidst the madness of Sam and Max–is equally ridiculous, though not quite as fun as the first season’s plot line. In fact, the overall formula borrows heavily from the first game, but doesn’t quite manage to match the quality. Still, Sam and Max provide an abundance of humor, even if the story itself is not as clever as the previous adventure.

More games need to begin with giant robots destroying city blocks.

Sam and Max is a point-and-click adventure series, meaning you’ll walk through environments, pointing with the Wii remote at objects and scenery and, you guessed it, clicking on them to interact with them or just hear a short joke. It’s a classic genre that Telltale Games is doing their best to bring back, though unfortunately they’re dragging along the problems to genre faces as well. The majority of the gameplay revolves around solving puzzles with the few amount of items you can pick up and use. However, the solution is often so completely bizarre or illogical that the only way to find it is to try every possible option available to you–a lot of choices, even in the early episodes. Nothing is more frustrating than getting stuck on a puzzle only to find that the solution is so nonsensical that there’s no way you would have logically reached the conclusion on your own. Thankfully, the developers took some measures to alleviate this issue with an adjustable hint system. Max or other characters will occasionally spew clues as to what you need to do–you can change how often these hints come in the pause menu. The hints definitely help, but do not manage to completely patch the issue here.

Santa's packing heat! The Freelance Police will have to pacify him.

It’s not always puzzle solving and dialogue in Beyond Time and Space. This game features more action sequences, such as driving or even boxing with a small remote controlled toy. These scenes spice up the otherwise repetitive system of talking to people, collecting items, then struggling to find the puzzle’s solution, but they also suffer heavily from the choppy frame rate and less than stellar controls. Otherwise, though, the Wii remote is perfectly designed for a point-and-click adventure game, so controlling the rest of the game is no trouble. There are some minor problems, for example, trying to click on small objects is a little awkward and the inventory could be a little easier to use, but in general the controls work great and are easy to pick up.

Like the previous season, Beyond Time and Space uses some wonderfully cartoony graphics that help emphasize the comical, goofy atmosphere of the game. With bright colors and exaggerated shapes (particularly in some of the character models), you’ll feel like you’re wandering through a children’s cartoon–until Max pulls out a gun and starts firing randomly. As nice as the graphics are, though, the game sports some horrible frame rate issues. Even with frequent loading screens, many scenes chug along with choppy pacing and several pauses. It’s terribly distracting and makes some of the action sequences almost unplayable as you can’t actually see where you are. On the music side of the presentation, you’ll be treated to some catchy and up beat tunes as you scour for clues and put together puzzles. The voice acting is about as exaggerated and comical as you would expect from a game staring two anthropomorphic crime fighters; each character’s voice perfectly matches his or her personality and really makes the crazy dialogue work. Though the quality in the visuals dips–significantly and erratically–the audio really helps the presentation as a whole.

This seems like a good place to stop for directions.

Beyond Time and Space features five episodes, one less than the previous season. Each episode lasts approximately two and a half hours, less if you’re quick to solve puzzles and more if you go through all dialogue choices and listen to every single joke the game has to offer. There’s no real reason to replay the game, though, as the few bonus features are already unlocked when you begin the game. For the low price of $20, though, it’s not a bad deal, if you’re willing to work around the game’s problems.

If you enjoyed Sam and Max’s previous adventures, you’ll enjoy Beyond Time and Space because so much of it feels exactly the same as the first game. There isn’t much innovation in the game formula, and once again technical issues mar the otherwise quirky and comical presentation, but for some silly jokes and wacky situations, contact the Freelance Police.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Developer Renegade Kid is quickly developing a reputation for first person shooters on the Nintendo DS. With their previous games Dementium: The Ward and Moon setting the groundwork, Demenium II delivers sharp controls and eerie survival-horror gameplay, all in the palm of your hand. Though the game is over all too quickly, the experience shouldn’t be missed by fans of scares and shooting.

The plot picks up from where the first game left off–you awake in the Bright Dawn Treatment Center and are dragged back to your room, where you find a mysterious postcard that seems to be from yourself. It warns you to escape while you can, and from there mysterious monsters begin to appear as you fight against a maniacal doctor–all good ingredients for a survival-horror recipe. Overall the plot is fairly light, but there is a strong sense of creepy mystery and danger as you never quite know what is going to happen next. The ending, like the first game, is a bit of a cliffhanger, but unlike the previous game, it seems a little more fitting and satisfying. One thing is for sure–there is more to see of William Redmoor’s psychotic adventure.

You never know what's around the next corner at the Bright Dawn Treatment Center.

The DS might not be the first system you think of when you imagine a survival-horror game–and a first-person one at that–but Renegade Kid has done a great job of improving the faults from the first game and creating a tightly controlled, tense and atmospheric game. Enemies no longer perpetually respawn, you can now save at mirrors, and you can hold the flashlight while using a small weapon, allowing you to look and shoot in dark areas. These simple changes make the game much easier to play but still keep the sense of foreboding that makes survival-horror games so frightening and so fun. Some aspects, though, might have become a little too easy–though you have limited inventory space, you are rarely using all of the space you have, even when you have an abundance of health items and gun ammunition. Though battles are still intense, it is only at the very beginning of the game that there is any real sense of danger. Additionally, the puzzles are a little too simple–few take more than a moment to figure out, and generally the hints, clues, or keys are all too obvious.

Dementium II does a great job of showing how well a first-person shooter can work on the DS. Aiming with the stylus and touchscreen couldn’t be easier, and though moving with the D-pad or ABXY buttons is a little awkward to hold, it’s effective while trying to shoot and dodge oncoming monsters. Plus, it adds to the old-fashioned survival-horror style to have low maneuverability when enemies are charging you. Though aiming is made easy with the touch screen, it’s actually even easier to defeat most enemies with physical weapons such as the shank or sledgehammer. Against many standard monsters, guns are unnecessary, further putting enemy encounters a little on the simple side, though the tension remains.

Using a knife can save ammo, but watch out for your health!

The 3D graphics are great on the DS, and varied enough that they don’t get too stale over the short course of the game. Early environments in the treatment center are especially eerie, as you may be walking down a plain hallway when suddenly your perception shifts, the ground is covered in blood, and there are horrific monstrosities lumbering toward you. The developers have gotten the most out of the DS to make an atmospheric and sinister game. The music, though, is what truly perfects the ambiance. Whether it’s the droning wail of a nearby enemy or a creepy chant echoing through the air, Dementium II pulls you into the survival-horror setting with some great sound effects.

If there’s one real fault in the game, it’s the length. There are only five chapters to the game and a mere four hours is all it takes to see the credits roll. Though you can replay the game on different difficulty levels, there’s not much incentive to do so. In addition there is a survival mode where you have to fight off waves of enemies with any and every weapon that you can find, but it quickly grows repetitive and is not likely to capture your interest. As a result, the game makes much more sense as a weekend rental; you can easily finish the game in a single day, then you’ll be wishing for more.

Despite its short length, Dementium II is a great improvement over the first game and provides a fantastic survival-horror experience on the Nintendo DS. Though perhaps somewhat too simplified, the gameplay is tense and the presentation is wonderfully creepy. For a genre that has received little attention on the DS, Dementium II does a great job of filling the gap.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

The Prince of Persia series has a long history in the world of gaming, dating back over two decades and appearing on a variety of platforms. The latest game, The Forgotten Sands, falls between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within chronologically, and follows the quest of the titular Prince to find his own kingdom to rule, as well as a lovely princess. Despite a somewhat slow and trudging start, The Forgotten Sands is a worthy entry in this prestigious platforming franchise.

The plot, however, is not the game’s best attribute. It’s somewhat predictable, rather banal, and distinctly underwhelming. The similarities to The Sands of Time are blatant–once again the Prince makes a foolish mistake that he then spends the rest of the game correcting. At the very least, it creates a decent motivation for his actions throughout the game, but the story could have used more fleshing out, especially around the climax of the game. One welcome return is the Prince’s snarky attitude; as he climbs vertical surfaces and performs death-defying leaps, he’ll let out quips and sarcastic comments directed at his genie companion, Zahra. Though her character is a little more flat, the light dialogue creates some entertaining background noise as you clamber through each area.

It wouldn't be a PoP game without hazards and armed enemies waiting for you.

The Prince of Persia games are known for their great platformer gameplay, and The Forgotten Sands is no different, but only after you’ve unlocked the Prince’s new creation powers. The first few hours of the game are somewhat slow and uninspired; once you have the ability to create hooks along walls, generate whirlwinds on the ground that propel you into the air, and pause mid-air with the magic orb power, the action picks up. These abilities open up a ton of tricky scenarios and clever jump sequences that will challenge your forethought as well as your reaction speed in some truly unique level design. Despite the freedom that these abilities grant, there are disappointingly few areas where you are able to carve your own path; by and large, there is one path that the game outlines for you. For those not experienced with the Prince of Persia series’ parkour-style gameplay, the game effectively shows you whether or not you can make a jump by outlining the target in blue. It’s terribly convenient on difficult jumps, but it also takes away some of the challenge and uncertainty that made the previous games exciting.

The combat is, undoubtedly, the weakest aspect of the game. Unlike the platforming elements, fighting never really gets better–it’s always basic, repetitive, and awkward. The Prince only has a handful of attacks which makes each battle fairly direct, but ultimately serves to oversimplify them. Additionally, there’s a small selection of enemies that you’ll face, making each battle feel a little too similar to the last. The most disappointing aspect, though, is that the fighting is nowhere near as elegant or fluid as the platforming portions, and as a result, isn’t terribly satisfying.

Even the Prince's acrobatics cannot breathe life into the combat.

Since the Prince’s primary action is jumping and climbing, the controls are very simple and easy to pick up quickly. To activate creation powers, you only need point at the screen and place a ring or whirlwind on the wall or floor, respectively. Camera control is crucial in this type of game, and thankfully it’s easy to manipulate here. While holding C, you’re free to look around you and scope out the environment. The perspective isn’t quite always where you want it–especially to find hidden secrets–so looking around freely is vital. The combat controls, however, are somewhat more questionable. Swing the Wii remote to attack with your sword and swing with the nunchuk to punch; it’s easy to grasp but the motions grow tired quickly, even in short battles.

Like the platforming, the visuals have a hard time hitting stride. Not until nearly halfway through the game are the environments much more than stone and sand, with little attention to detail, while character models fail to impress as well. Once you reach some of the more elaborate indoor areas–particularly a series of challenges near the end of the game–you’ll see what the game really has to offer in terms of graphics. The music does a better job of maintaining a consistent level of quality throughout the game, though the soundtrack is often underplayed–you might even forget it’s there. The voice work is a little overacted, but it puts a lot of life into the dialogue, putting some energy into an otherwise low-key game.

Hazards and gaps become a breeze with the Prince's new creation powers.

The game itself is not terribly long, lasting approximately 9-10 hours, typical for this kind of game. However, there are a ton of bonus materials that make the game a more compelling purchase. In the vein of achievements or trophies on other systems, The Forgotten Sands has its own set of challenges–small tasks as you play designed to make you hunt down every possible feature. Many of them are out of the way of the main game; to complete them all, you’ll need to explore quite a bit and perfect your fighting skills. Completing these challenges unlocks bonus content such as concept artwork, videos, and extra costumes and weapons, including throwbacks to the previous Prince of Persia games. In addition, there are several bonus games to unlock such as a fighting challenge or a test of your speed, as well as the Super Nintendo version of the original Prince of Persia game. Unlike a lot of other unlockable bonus games, these are a lot of fun and provide you with even more gameplay outside of the main game.

The somewhat tediously slow beginning may turn off some gamers, but the gameplay and the environments really pick up after a few hours, even if the combat never gets off the ground. The Prince’s new powers put a completely different spin on the familiar Prince of Persia platforming, and the plentiful bonus features ensure you’ll be exploring every nook and cranny. It’s not without its faults, but The Forgotten Sands is another solid title in the Prince of Persia series.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

For the first time in years, Nintendo has released a direct sequel to a Mario platforming title. The highly anticipated Super Mario Galaxy 2 revisits the style and setting of the first game but with all new galaxies, stages, and challenges. Imaginative level design puts a fresh spin on 3D platforming and creates some of the most exciting and addicting gameplay in recent memory. Amazing platforming and presentation make SMG2 a more than worthy sequel to one of the best games on the Wii.

Mario platforming games aren’t known for their deep plotlines, and SMG2 is no exception. The story is even more brief than the first game, and functions more as an alternate plot to the events of the original. Once again Princess Peach is captured by Bowser, who has taken the power of Grand Stars and Power Stars to grow to an enormous size. In true blue hero fashion, Mario sets off, with the aid of a helpful Luma, to save the princess and stop Bowser. Nothing fancy and nothing special, though Mario veterans might see a few references and throwbacks to previous games. And like previous games, Mario is all about the gameplay, not the story.

SMG2 will put all of your platforming skills to the test.

Like the best of sequels, SMG2 brings a variety of new ideas while maintaining the spirit of the original. The core concepts are the same–planetoids, space setting, gravity manipulation–but the manner in which they are used is brilliantly original, challenging, and fun. The best part is that there is so much variety in the game; each galaxy only holds on average three stars (including Prankster Comet stars), meaning there are dozens of galaxies to visit, each with their own theme that opens up various gameplay possibilities–the scenery stays fresh, and you won’t be repeating areas over and over. In exchange, each galaxy is a little smaller, but you’ll hardly notice as you soar over planets and leap through lush environments of rotating platforms and deadly obstacles. Each galaxy brings new ideas designed to vex you, constantly pushing you to work harder for the power star prize. And there’s no shortage on difficulty–later galaxies have positively controller-wrenching challenges, enough to satisfy any veteran Mario player. If it proves too much to handle, though, there are hint videos scattered about levels to offer some direction, or should you fail repeatedly, you can use the Cosmic Guide to help you. Even when the going gets tough, the game is rarely discouraging; instead, you’ll be trying ever harder to master every last galaxy.

Ascend to new heights when Yoshi eats a blimp fruit.

Overall there is a greater emphasis on the effects of gravity as well as perspective–arguably the most fascinating and entertaining aspects from the original game. One minute you might be running across an average horizontal platform when suddenly Mario runs straight up a wall and you have to navigate along a vertical surface with all the standard hazards in your path. These insane moments create some of the most memorable levels in the game, and truly show off the unique and stylish game mechanics that the developers have pain-stakingly poured into this title. Additionally, new power-ups add even more flair to the adventure, providing new ways to approach conventional situations. The drill provides a clever way of navigating planets as well as uncovering buried secrets, the Rock Mushroom allows you to plow through enemies and obstacles with nerve-wrecking speed, and the Cloud Flower is a great and convenient way to reach new heights, and may even save you if you make a bad jump. Though the Rock Mushroom generally provides the most difficult and unique situations, all three are welcome additions to Mario’s robust line-up of items.

The other big addition to SMG2 is everyone’s favorite green dinosaur, Yoshi. Like the power-ups, he’s restricted to specific levels, but riding around on him is a blast, simultaneously making a situation easier and more intense. With his tongue Yoshi can grab items and scarf down enemies while his flutter jump lets you reach new heights, though the sacrifice is some of Mario’s maneuverability. Additionally, Yoshi gets his own power-ups in the form of various fruits, allowing him to run faster–even up walls–float like a blimp, or light a path in darkness. Yoshi is as cleverly integrated into the game as the other power-ups, offering completely new ways to approach levels that will leave you scratching your head at how the developers could have ever imagined these stages. In addition, Mario’s oft forgotten brother Luigi plays a much more prominent role in SMG2 compared to the first game. Luigi will appear at the beginning of certain stages, allowing you to play as him instead. He manages to make already tricky stages noticeably harder with his slippery movements, though his higher jump does come in handy on occasion. Though he’s not recommended for novices, using Luigi provides a bit more of a challenge and spices up the gameplay to keep it from getting too repetitive.

Let Luigi in on the action, but be warned, he's harder to control than his portly brother.

The two player co-op mode–called co-star mode–is significantly more involved in this game, giving the 2nd player control over a bright orange Luma who can retrieve items for Mario, freeze monsters and obstacles, and even defeat enemies. Having another cursor on-screen makes the game a little chaotic, but it pays off–many levels are far easier with a helping hand, and it allows spectators to get in on the game. One thing, unfortunately, has not changed from the last game, and that is Bowser’s difficulty. Despite all of the clever and eye-catching designs in the normal levels, fighting Bowser proves to be a repetitive, predictable affair. In contrast, the fights involving Bowser Jr. are much more interesting, and provide more unique approaches. Though Bowser’s fights fail to impress, his stages remain some of the most challenging and intense.

The controls are virtually completely unchanged from the first game, so veteran players should be able to get back into the groove of things quickly. Mario’s movements have always had an elegant simplicity to them, and despite the hurdle of gravity and shifting camera perspectives, moving Mario is a simple task. Certain stages require greater use of the motion controls, such as gliding on a bird by tilting the Wii remote. Despite the change the controls are still pretty solid, plus these stages are so infrequent you won’t be forced to fiddle with them too much.

The 2nd player trails behind Mario, collecting items and warding off foes.

Once again the developers have outdone themselves in crafting gorgeous environments for you to run around in. Not only is each stage full of twists, turns, and thorny situations, they’re also beautifully presented with bight colors, shimmering textures, and cheery designs. Every galaxy comes to life with its own theme and style, meticulously detailed with wonderfully cartoonish art design that perfectly complements the whimsical spirit of the game. Veterans of Mario platformers will even be treated to a variety of references to past games, some subtle and some a little more blatant–an entire galaxy is sure to bring a smile to the face of nostalgic gamers. While a lot of the character designs are repeated from the first game, there’s no denying the fantastic work that has been put into crafting the game’s bosses. From enormous space dragons to robotic menaces, each boss not only provides a tricky battle, they’re a delight to look upon. The soundtrack is, quite frankly, out of this world (I’m sorry, I had to use that pun). The fully orchestral music is simply beautiful, each piece melding perfectly into the scenery of its specific galaxy, creating an incredible environment for Mario’s latest platforming adventure. The composers have done a fantastic job of capturing the wonder and mirth of Mario games in sound, adding the final touch to the SMG2 experience. With such a variety of songs, one is sure to catch your ear, though each and every one rivals the best soundtracks for any media.

Gobblegut is the first of many gorgeous boss fights.

As in other 3D Mario platformers, it is possible to ignore a significant amount of the game and go straight after Bowswer with a minimal amount of stars. Such an approach would barely last ten hours, but where’s the fun in that? With over two hundred power stars to collect and some of the most mind-boggling challenges and level designs in recent memory, it would be a waste not to play and replay SMG2 to its completion, lasting well over thirty hours.

Simply put, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a video game masterpiece. Mario’s platforming perils have never been more creative, nor the action more addictive. With fantastic and challenging game design, gorgeous presentation, and hours upon hours of gameplay, SMG2 is an unmatched experience on the Wii. This is the reason we play video games–for the kind of thrilling experience this game provides.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

Strange settings are nothing new in video games, but Sakura Wars might just take the cake. In an alternate universe 1920s New York City, young Shinjiro Taiga must prove his mettle as a member of a Broadway dance troupe that doubles as a secret robot fighting team. If you can wrap your head around that concept, you’re in for a half-romance adventure and half-strategy game, with your adventure choices affecting your power in battle. It’s catered to a rather niche audience and certainly won’t be for everyone, but if you enjoy Anime-style presentation and relationships with the occasional giant robot fight, well then you are exactly the audience this game is for.

The game’s setting certainly earns points for originality. As exotic and interesting as the setting is, though, there’s no real reason for it, and very little integration of it into the story. It raises the question of why bother making it a steampunk setting when there are computers and giant robots anyway. Without any rhyme or reason, the setting turns into a negligible prop that loosely frames the events and character interaction of the game. The story is much more than its peculiar setting, though. Shinjiro’s struggles not only with becoming a member of the Star Division and piloting his own robot, but with forming meaningful relationships with his group of teammates. Not everyone is as friendly as Shinjiro, and getting to know each character with take a lot of effort on Shinjiro’s part. As cheesy and slow as many scenes are, Anime fans will appreciate the writing, which carries the typical blend of sentimentality and goofy humor.

Make good dialogue choices to build your friendships.

The gameplay is divided between two separate sections. In Adventure mode, Shinjiro talks–extensively–with the people around him, learning about Star Division and life in New York City. There’s very little action in this portion; the majority of your time here is spent reading text. Peppered throughout the dialogue, though, are situations where you’ll have to choose Shinjiro’s response, and to spice it up, there’s a time limit on your decision. “Correct” choices will build his relationship with the others, while “wrong” answers will hurt it. Generally, wrong answers are obvious, but sometimes the logic behind the correct answer seems off, or the girl will react oddly to your statement. In addition to choosing dialogue, you’ll occasionally engage in quicktime event-style actions that require you to move the control stick and D-pad (or both control sticks on the Classic Controller). Early on these events are a pain as they can pop up unexpectedly and require precise input, but at least they provide you a small change from the abundant dialogue.

Once you actually get to a battle, you’ll encounter a somewhat cryptic strategy RPG. The normal strategy details–such as battle order, attack, defense, and health–aren’t immediately visible. Instead you’ll have to go through a few menus to find them, and even then they aren’t always clear. Rather than pouring over the gritty details, Sakura Wars encourages you more to jump into the fray and start attacking, and build an understanding of the game as you progress. It’s not a bad system since the early battles are incredibly easy and advanced techniques such as joint attacks aren’t worthwhile until late in the game anyway. Unfortunately battles feel rather shallow as a result, and until the last few fights, are rarely exciting or energetic. Granted, the majority of the game is focused on the adventure portion and on building friendships, but the battles end up being a little too drab.

Your blue action meter determines how many actions a character can do on a single turn.

Sakura Wars supports both the Wii remote with nunchuk or the Classic Controller, though for some reason while using the CC, all commands are still listed with their Wii remote/nunchuk buttons, so you’ll have to stumble through the correct buttons on your own. It’s worth it to use the CC during adventure mode, though, since the quick-time actions are much easier with two joysticks rather than trying to fumble with the D-pad on the Wii remote. Though even when using the CC, you’ll occasionally need the Wii remote to make selections by pointing at the screen. With either format, though, the controls are pretty straightforward, and just require a lot of pressing “a” to advance the dialogue.

Obviously, there’s a heavy Anime influence on the graphics, resulting in beautiful, crisp 2D images and animation alongside 3D robot models during battle scenes. As sleek as the mechs look, the environments in battle leave a lot to be desired, while the visuals in Adventure mode are top notch, and the animated scenes, though infrequent, are worthy of any TV show or movie. As repetitive as the music gets after hours of playing, it’s quite lively and carries a bouncy tune through the lengthy writing. And though some of the voice acting matches the character well, others–particularly those with strained accents–are completely grating, and even laughable at times. Voice work troubles aside, the presentation is as sharp as you would expect from this kindof story driven game.

Each battle includes a portion where your mech takes to the skies.

Even while rushing through the dialogue, Sakura Wars can easily last between 15 to 20 hours. Bear in mind the majority of that time is spent talking with others while the minority actually involves your input, but this game still has a lot to offer. T here are different endings based upon the girl you most connect with, so there’s some incentive to experiment a little or even replay the whole game. Gamers on a budget should be happy to hear the game retails for $29.99, so it won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love requires a fair bit of patience and appreciation for the writing style to really enjoy. The gameplay elements are a little lacking, but players interested in the relationship-heavy story as well as the sharp presentation will have a game with plenty of replayability.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars