Sonic Mega Collection Plus

Platform: PlayStation 2/Xbox/PC (Windows)
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Release: 2 November 2004
Rating: Everyone
Price: $10-13

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of gaming's Long Runners, and like his rival Mario, Sonic himself is immediately recognizable to most. While the series hasn't been relevant in years--most likely due to horrible game after horrible game--the original games remain classics. They're all very flawed, but are still worth playing, if for no reason other than their enormous place in gaming's history. Personally, I hold that most of the games up through Sonic Adventure were quite enjoyable*, and many of them are collected here. The original Sonic Mega Collection contained seven Genesis (or "Mega Drive" if you're outside the United States) titles:

• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3
• Sonic & Knuckles
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Sonic Spinball
• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (which was actually Puyo Puyo, given a Sonic-themed "makeover" for its release outside Japan)

A decent collection, though it was missing many titles, keeping it rather incomplete. However, there is the updated Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which adds six more Game Gear games:

• Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear version)
• Sonic Chaos
• Sonic Drift
• Sonic Labyrinth
• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Game Gear version)
• Sonic Blast
  

There are also other, unlockable games that are unrelated to Sonic (such as The Ooze and Comix Zone) which make a nice bonus.
While still incomplete, this updated collection is still an excellent value (containing both the gems and the crap) and since Sonic Gems Collection holds most of the missing games, the Sonic Mega Collection Plus is a worthwhile part of gaming history.
Over a dozen games on one disc for a price of $10 on the PC or PS2, or $13 on the Xbox makes this an excellent deal.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro

Psychonauts

Platform: Xbox/PlayStation 2/PC (Windows)
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Publisher: Majesco Entertainment
Release: 19 April 2005
Rating: Teen
Price: $10-15

It's always a horrid shame when a beautifully-original game like Psychonauts fails to sell, until years later when the entire world simultaneously discovers it. While yes, it's a good thing that the game is finally being bought, the initial lackluster sales tend to really hurt the publisher.
Tim Schafer is a brilliant man, and has created some of the wackiest games this side of Grasshopper Manufacture. Psychonauts was the first time he worked outside the genre of adventure games, and the result is unpolished, but still genuinely fun. The premise of the game is that the hero, Raz, is a kid at a summer camp for psychics. When a conspiracy comes to light, it's up to him to save his fellow campers by using his powers to explore the minds of other people. So each level has an entirely different feel, and they can get rather surreal at times. The conspiracy theorist's mindscape is a warped version of an American suburb with trenchcoat-wearing, CIA-looking guys all over the place; The boot-camp-style counselor's brain is a war-torn battlefield; and the retired actress' subconscious has actors reliving her life in the form of a stage play.
While the difficulty curve is inconsistent, and the gameplay has a slightly unfinished feel, Psychonauts is still a colorful adventure with an insane cast and is definitely worth a look.
GameStop sells the Xbox and PS2 versions of the game at $13 and $15 respectively, while Steam and GOG offer the PC version for $10.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro

.hack//G.U. vol.1: Rebirth

Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Action/RPG
Developer: CyberConnect2
Publisher: Bandai
Release: 24 October 2006
Rating: Teen
Price: $20

While the first .hack series was decidedly mediocre, the G.U. follow-up trilogy is an excellent series of action RPGs. The premise of a game-within-a-game as a setting is brilliant. .hack takes place within an MMORPG called "The World." G.U. picks up several years after the origial series, in the sequel: "The World:R2." The aesthetic is steampunk this time rather than high fantasy, and it works very well. The cast is mostly new, but has many old characters returning--with new avatars in the game.
The plot is excellent, though following it in its entirety requires playing all three G.U. games and watching the tie-in anime ".hack//Roots," which functions as a prologue for the games (you can understand the games' plot without watching the anime, but it does answer a few questions).
As for how G.U. plays, it functions somewhat like a standard RPG, with towns and party members, and all the trappings. Combat, however, is in real-time, and is quite fun. There isn't very much variety in the dungeons, and the whole series reeks of repetitiveness, but the gameplay is still fun, and the plot is gripping enough to keep you playing.
While the first of the three, Rebirth, is very much flawed (swapping weapons mid-combat feels sticky, for example), the sequels improve on it. I would say that the third volume, Redemption, is the best gameplay-wise, but the story there isn't quite as good as it is in the first two (with a few plot twists coming completely out of nowhere). Averaging them all together, though, the G.U. trilogy is a landmark example of a fun, engaging action RPG.
Start off with the first volume, which GameStop offers used for $20.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger

Genre: Platformer
Developer: Krome Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release: 10 September 2002
Rating: Everyone
Price: $3-5

Usually when I go back and play a game from my childhood, I turn it off in just a few minutes and say "I used to like this?" That's never really happened with Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. I have always been fond of a good 3D platformer, and Ty delivers. It's flawed, yes, but still a good time. The plot is cliche, and the characters shallow, but the setting is really nice; it actually feels like Australia, despite being highly fictionalized. Your main weapon is even a pair of boomerangs.
There's a rather cheesy humor throughout, which, while juvenile, manages to keep the game lighthearted and amusing. And sometimes all you want is a lighthearted romp in between other, darker games.
The gameplay is not without its flaws. Some of the puzzles leave you wondering how exactly a kid was supposed to figure them out, while others are no challenge at all. Combat can be frustrating, since a missed throw leaves you without your boomerang until it comes back (you can still bite, but it's somewhat unreliable). And there is a certain enemy which can only be hurt by a certain kind of boomerang, but is thrown at you right up until the end of the game, long after you have obtained more powerful boomerangs, leaving you mashing the button to change 'rangs until you get the one you need.
Despite its flaws, though, Ty is a decent game that speaks to the child in all of us. Besides, it will only cost you $3 on the GameCube or PlayStation2, and $5 on the Xbox.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro

Kingdom Hearts II

Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Action/RPG
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix/Buena Vista Games
Release: 28 March 2006
Rating: Everyone 10+
Price: $18

One wouldn't think that a game about Disney characters could be in any way dark. The Kingdom Hearts games prove that not only can it be dark, but epic in scale. The first Kingdom Hearts was a mediocre action-platformer. Its follow-up, Chain of Memories (essentially Kingdom Hearts 1.5), was not very good either, relying on a rather annoying card-based system. Two less-than-stellar games, and it was easy to write Kingdom Hearts off as a failed experiment.
Then came Kingdom Hearts II.
With a renewed emphasis on the action rather than platforming, KH2 gave the series the kick it needed to become actually good. And it was great! All of the Kingdom Hearts games since have been very much worthwhile, though none more-so than II itself.
As for how it plays, you use your ship to travel from world to world, exploring different Disney settings (re-visiting the ones from the first game, and adding several new ones), killing both Heartless, and the new villains, the Nobodies.The controls are solid, though the action can decline into button-mashing at times. However, there is a good amount of tactical variety, as you not only have your main weapon, the Keyblade, but elemental magic, summon spells, combination attacks with your party, and super-forms.
The plot is also well-made. We start off with a new protagonist, with events seemingly unrelated to the previous games. Then plot twists take place and we see where we are in the grand scheme of the overarching plot. One year after the events of the first game, the evil Heartless from the first game are still around, but a new enemy--Organization XIII--has surfaced as well. We return to our original hero, Sora, and take on both of these threats. I will not spoil anything further, but trust me when I say that I fully enjoyed watching the story unfold.
As a whole, if you like action/RPG hybrids, or have enjoyed any of the other games in the series, then give Kingdom Hearts II a shot. $18 well-spent.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro

Odin Sphere

Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Action
Developer: Vanillaware
Publisher: Atlus
Release: 22 May 2007
Rating: Teen
Price: $15

Sometimes I miss the days of 2D video games. I mean, there are a lot of things you can do in 2D that just don't work as well in 3D. With most console developers having jumped into 3D for the most part, the only place to really get a good selection of 2D games is on the portable systems.
Odin Sphere on the PlayStation 2 is one of the exceptions. Developed by Vanillaware, who have more recently made Grim Grimoire and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Odin Sphere features overwhelmingly beautiful hand-drawn artwork. It's lovingly-rendered, and looks one hundred times better than any given 3D game on the system. The drawback to this is, of course, loading times. But really, it's an even tradeoff, given how damn good the gameplay is.
It's a typical side-scrolling action game, but with some features that set it apart from the crowd:
*Five playable characters, each with a very different play style.
*An interesting leveling system that increases your maximum health as you use healing items and improves your special powers as you absorb the 'ammunition' for them (It may sound like Final Fantasy II, but it works so much better).
*A gripping plot based loosely on the Norse myths of Ragnarok.
*And a unique crafting system with 26 potions to create, one for each letter of the alphabet.
If you own a PS2 and haven't already played Odin Sphere, you're really missing out. Despite its monumental and sometimes frustrating level of difficulty, the game is charming and unique, a shining example of just what cane be done with games.
Plus, GameStop offers used copies at a price point of $15, so you have even less excuse to pass it up.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro