School's in for the year, and you know what that means, right? It means a whole nine months of kids playing games instead of doing their homework, rather than kids playing games instead of doing their chores or going to their summer job. Fortunately, Nintendo, Atlus and Namco are here to help out those kids who just want to get away from school and kick a few tails. Sure, things may seem to be a tad slower now that we actually have to learn again, but that feeling will only last a month or two until the holiday season kicks in.

Reno

Having just finished my Soul Calibur 2 Guide for IGN, I've been taking a break from the game that I've been playing for well over a year straight. I picked up F-Zero GX and I've been having an absolute blast with it. The sense of speed in this game is unreal, and like I told AFX at E3, "I don't think I ever need to play another video game ever again". Do those words still ring true? They might have if I had a track editor and online play. Seriously. Even though it's slightly disappointing that neither made the cut this time around, I'll bet $20 that they will appear in the next game. Until then, I've been splitting my time with Time Crisis 3 for the PS2 and Lethal Skies 2, both of which have been very good to me. Other than that, it's been a pretty boring week as I start a new job search and the quest to keep my girlfriend eternally happy. God knows I wouldn't stand a chance against her.

Bahn

Thanks to Namco, I was finally able to pry myself away from Capcom vs. SNK 2: EO (or more specifically, playing it online). Soul Calibur 2 arrives with much fanfare leading up to its release, but shortly followed with a bit of bickering. For more details, see our full hands-on review.

For the moment, I'll briefly state that this is one of those types of games that not only should be treasured, but should be experienced with others. Playing the Weapon Master Mode is bound to keep you up for hours as you diligenty press on to unlock every single hidden item. Depending on who you ask, most may tell you that this installment is a lot like the original. Soul Calibur 2 is a much better, polished product of what made so many of us gush over the 1999 Dreamcast edition.

haohmaru

Advance Wars (GBA)

Going back to the original before I take a look at Advance Wars 2. Playing the campaign on the second go around and it seems that the cheapness factor is increasing a bit. Excellent hex based strategy game that suffers, IMHO, from no sense of urgency or "having" to win. I'll take World Advanced over this any day, but the time for hex based games is nearing an end so I'm happy with any release in the genre. I look forward to the 2nd installment.

Crimson Sea (Xbox)

Took the bait after a few people said this was one of the most overlooked games on the Xbox and...I just don't see it. The camera is awful and dizzying and the enemies, while numerous, are particularly bland. The story looked somewhat intriguing - not enough to keep going though.

G1 Jockey 3 (PS2)

Interesting horse racing/jockey sim from Koei wherein you control a jockey in his rookie year and try to rise to the top of the heap by winning races and wooing horses from stable owners. The game has a rough learning curve and is definitely geared towards hardcore sim and horse racing fans. Very niche. Good, but very niche.

James

The last few weeks of gaming have been almost like a blur, with way too many good games released in way too short a time period. I only got one of the big releases, Soul Calibur 2 on Gamecube, and let the rest sit on the shelves until I find the time for them. Unfortunately, one of those games is Disgaea, which I'm seriously expecting to take a big chunk of my sleep when I break down and get it in a few weeks (or less).

In the meantime, the video game dilettantism continues unabated, with a fair selection of games getting less play than they really deserve. Virtua Fighter 4 and Soul Calibur 2 are both excellent games that I'm glad to own, but I have to admit that I'll never really be a big fighter fan. I picked up Mojo, which would be pretty cool as a shareware PC game that gets played for an evening and then forgotten about but maybe not so hot as an actual game to own, but I've probably gotten $10 worth out of it anyway. I also found Endgame, a light gun shooter from the budget pile, and it's such a total clone of Time Crisis I have to wonder how they avoided the lawsuit. Finishing off the purchase list was the Star Wars promo disk you get for reserving Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3. After a bit of play I think I'm happier owning this bit of arcade history than I am playing it on a non-vector monitor while using a game pad.

My big game for the past week has been none of the above, though. In a fit of not really knowing what I wanted to do the other day I popped in a PS1 RPG I'd gotten last Christmas but had never found time to play - Tales of Destiny 2. This is exactly what I'm in the mood for: an epic, action based, 2D hand drawn RPG with likeable characters and a so-far interesting plot. It's doing a great job or reminding me why I like RPGs in the first place, and my only real problem is the ever-present time factor. A good bout of RPGing is two hours minimum, and unless the schedule is purposely cleared then it's hard to really give it the time it deserves. On the plus side, there's not a save point in the game to be found. Go to menu, select save, turn off. All RPGs everywhere need this feature, and one that has it is a friend to the temporally challenged everywhere.

Ren

Soul Calibur II (GC)

I tend to enjoy the occasional fighting game, so I was fairly excited to try out Soul Calibur II. It blew me away in every way a game possibly could. The graphics are great, the fighting itself is fun and challenging, and there's a whole lot of replay value. I beat Weapon Master Mode before even owning the game for an entire day. It's just that damn good. I figured that my favorite character would end up being Sophitia, since she was my fave back in the Soul Blade days. Surprisingly enough, I find that Talim is an excellent fighter. She's easily the fastest character in the game, so I always use her as back-up if I encounter a particularly tough mission. And hey, she's a cutie.

I really don't see why people whine so much about the GameCube controls. I own a GameCube, so I'm rather used to the controller. I'd prefer to use the PS2 controller, but I chose the GC version because I'm a big fan of Link. But no matter which version you buy, the controls really shouldn't be an issue. It's all a matter of conditioning yourself and getting used to the controller, no matter which one it is. And if there's still a problem, you have the option of customizing the controls in the game. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that controls shouldn't be the determining factor if you intend to purchase the game. If you're having trouble weighing your options, just go for whichever character you like best - Heihachi, Link, or Spawn.

F Zero GX (GC)

I had a short but sweet opportunity to try out F Zero GX, and I must say that I was rather impressed. I knew very little about the game, so I wasn't expecting much. What I found was a very smooth, fast, and (most importantly) fun racing game. And besides, how can anything with Captain Falcon in it be bad?

Teddman

Deathrow (Xbox)

I've been meaning to pick this game up for quite awhile, being the big fan of co-op sports games that I am. And when I heard that Deathrow had nonstop violence and some of the saltiest profanity in a videogame ever, it sealed the deal!

Deathrow is a cool little futuristic action/sports title from Southend Interactive, an independent game studio that consists of only about seven core staffers! Yep, this entire game was made by just a handful of people. But you really can't tell from the execution--it's a stylish and original title that plays very well. The premise of the game is deceptively simple: Get into an arena and throw a frisbee disc into the opposing team's goal more times than they throw it into yours. Or just beat the hell out of them over four quarters.

There's more strategy to it than there sounds. Co-op mode truly shines, because you have to strike a delicate balance between pounding on the competition and playing point guard. You'll soon discover that it's hard to make a goal unless a team mate flattens the defenders, the goalie, or both. The best "assist" you can get from a friend is often a roundhouse punch to the goalie's face as you shoot! In fact, if you can KO the entire opposing team, the match ends and you win, regardless of score (this is no easy feat, however). The career mode (which can be played co-op with up to four people) is deep and great fun. And the game has a nice level of challenge, but if it gets frustrating you won't have to bother swearing--your players will do it for you in full M-rated glory! Deathrow is truly a $#%&'in overlooked Xbox gem.

Soul Calibur 2 (Xbox)

Like just about every avid gamer these days, I've been playing a good amount of Soul Calibur 2. It's a great pickup and play fighter, and though I do wish Namco went a bit further in updating the game series with more new characters and fighting styles, it's still a good time. The Xbox-exclusive character Spawn is much better than I expected, and I found him becoming my favorite player, at least for my first week with the game.

Right now, most of my playing time is spent on the revamped Quest mode - "Weapons Master Mode." It's a nice creative method of drawing the gamer into a light story and a better way to unlock new weapons, costumes, and stages than simply playing through arcade mode with every character. Fun, very fun. I have to admit that I've cursed like a seasoned Deathrow midfielder on more than one occasion though - damn those dungeon challenge matches!

ˇ ˇ ˇTNL Staff