Release Archives: WEEK OF FEBRUARY 8, 20052.08.2005 Champions: Return to Arms *Game of the Week* Dev. Snowblind Studios Pub. Sony MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2 This game gets the nod for Game of the Week for one very important, though constantly overlooked, reason - it's a co-op game. Remember those? Most publishers clearly don't. While the actual nuts and bolts of this game are some of the most mindless video game experiences around, there is still plenty of fun beneath its perfunctory surface as you uncover a game of unsurpassed greed. Set in the Everquest world of Norrath, this is a simple hack and slash affair where hordes of indistinguishable enemies attempt to quash your dreams of... killing lots of people. The co-op experience is unlike any other. Though you are never able to engage your teammate in combat, the game is very competitive. The bulk of the fun comes from trying to collect the best items before your friend has a chance and making sure you deliver the final blow on bosses for the precious experience points. This will probably end up being one of the best two player experiences of the year so if you have a friend or two and greed to spare, waste no time getting your hands on this. Death by Degrees Dev. Namco Pub. Namco MSPR: $49.99 Systems: PS2 The world was a much better place when Sega and Namco were fighting it out in the arcades. Virtua Fighter and Tekken were not only two of the first, but were also the two best 3D fighters around. Now, as the popularity of fighters dwindles, the two companies are looking for other places to stick their increasingly inrrelevant characters. Sega was first up with Virtua Quest, a generic action RPG that was slammed by critics then promtly forgetten. Namco's offering in the "our characters are still significant" derby seems much better, but don't expect it to have the same impact as Tekken 2. While DbD does incorate a unique, analalog stick-centric fighting system and the X-Ray damage displays from Fight Club, there isn't too much else to distungish it from the pack of 3rd person adventure titles. As generic as the game is, at least Namco let's you actually control a Tekken character, Nina, instead of the random hero Sega created just for Virtua Quest. Probably not worthwhile for anyone but the most die hard of Tekken fans. Shadow of Rome Dev. Capcom Production Studios 2 Pub. Capcom MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2 It's a shame this game is being released now. With so many quality titles already out, it's hard to recommend this except to the most die hard of Russel Crowe fans. The game is, for the most part, just what you would expect in a gladiator title. You run around hacking people with your giant sword. The game does offer a few different types of gameplay as well, though. There are chariot races, which fit right in with the rest of the game. And then there are a few out of places modes, such as sailing around the high seas pirate style and stealth missions. Apparently every game needs stealth now. Anyway, this is fun, but not anywhere near a must have title. - Tom |
