The Coop

It's really a mixture of the two. Games that you feel are quality representations of their respective genres, and ones that you think everyone should experience because you believe them to be fun and worth their time to at least try out. Not really "the best of the best", because then you'd be comparing every platformer, fighter, racer, shooter, to every other game in their genre, and that'll result in a lot of quality titles being lost by whittling it down so much. As an example of this... Someone telling people to play Ultimate Doom, while leaving out Doom 2, Half-Life, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Quake and other well made FPS games, because they find UD to be the best FPS made.

Huh. Looks like I have a bit of catching up to do... Forza Motorsport (XBox)- Microsoft's answer to the Gran Turismo series. While not as loaded in terms of cars and tracks, this is still a great racing simulator. Very nice physics, great graphics, good tunes, the ability to add your own soundtrack, a large selection of cars (including Ferrari), a good number of tracks... this is a great game. If you likely "arcade-y" racers, this won't be your thing. But if you like to be able to tweak the holy hell out of your car, step on up and take part. YES. Giga Wing 2 (Dreamcast)- Take the basic gameplay of the first game, add in polygonal everything, a ominous synth orchestral soundtrack, plenty of pilots to choose from (each with their own ending and alternate version), a good scoring system, and some nasty bullet-hell gameplay, and you've got GW2. This one's several steps above the original in my opinion, as it takes what worked in the first game, and adds to them nicely. YES. Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (Dreamcast)- I'm probably going to get blasted for this, but... NO. I tried to enjoy this game... I really did. I own the first one on the Saturn, and had fun with it. But the Dreamcast sequel was just... missing something. The gameplay was basically there, but there was something missing that I can't quite put my finger on. It's not a bad game, but it just doesn't reach the "must have" plateau. Metal Slug Anthology (PS2)- Where the PSP version had nasty load times, and the Wii version had the somewhat awkward Wii-mote set up, the PS2 version came out as the version to get. There are short load times between mission segmants (generally 1-3 seconds), but being able to use a digital controller makes playing these old graphical masterpieces so much better. The entire series is filled with great 2D art, blood pumping "war" music, humorous touches, splatters of gore, and an infamous announcer that makes the whole thing complete ("Rowcket Lowncher"). With all seven 2D entries in the series on this one disc (including the newest one, MS-6), it's filled with lots of challenging gameplay, and it'll keep you and a friend busy for a long time. YES. Border Down (Dreamcast)- Made by G-Rev, this is a great horizontal shmup. Cool tunes, smooth and nice graphics, interesting gameplay mechanics (the whole green/yellow/red path thing), multiple endings, different routes through each level depending on how challenged you wanna be... it's a quality shmup from start to finish, and a feather in the DC's cap. Shame it never came to the US though. A YES for sure. Enclave (XBox)- A little known 3D action game, this little thing was a pleasant surprise. Graphically, it was very pretty for its time. Lots of detail and some pretty cool character designs. Being able to choose more than one type of character to play through the game as was welcome, and the different types of missions kept it from being a typical medieval hack 'n slash. It's also got quite a challenge to it, so it'll take some work to beat it. It's a fun game, that if given a chance, will grow on you as you delve deeper into it. It's not a shining beacon for its genre, but it is well made, and worth a Borderline YES to me. Marvel vs. Capcom (Dreamcast)- The third entry in Capcom's "vs" series, is a pretty good one. While it lacks the cool roster of the first two games and the fourth one, it still pack a lot of frantic chaotic fight action into it. As expected, the graphics are good, the music is odd, but alright, the animation is nice, and there's a healthy roster to choose from. The problem is, for me at least, the roster didn't have as many interesting characters. This game feels like it's filled with more "second stringers" than main stars. So for me, it comes in last in the series. But even so, it's still worth a Borderline YES. Note: Avoid the PS1 version of this game. Besides loosing rediculous amounts of animation, it also lost the tag team option because of the PS1's limited RAM. It's not nearly as good as the DC rev. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)- The first Castlevania to do 3D well, and the one that begins the entire series' time line. The graphics aren't bad, but not great, the music is wonderful, the level designs are bland, and there's not much platforming. However, it does have interesting characters, some decent voice acting, cool bosses, and a much better take on the classic whipping action than either of the N64 games. It's not the 3D answer to "Symphony", but it's a fun game. A Borderline YES for me. Genma Onimusha (XBox)- Take the original game on the PS1, add new areas and a tougher difficulty, tweak the gameplay a bit with new monsters and soul battling, keep the great soundtrack and cinemas, and you've got this game. It plays a bit like Resident Evil in feudal Japan, but its story, settings and demonic hordes help it to stand apart from its inspiration. It's a case of a good game being made better, and a sold YES. OutRun 2 (XBox)- Take the classic gameplay of the original game, beef it up with gorgeous graphics and a healthy selection of cars, add new mini games to enable players to get said cars, and here you go. It's even got the original OutRun tucked away in it. This sequel doesn't mess around with the formula too much, but it does add little touches to spice things up a bit more than the simple turn/turn/brake setup of the original (namely, power sliding). A good game, a solid sequel, and a YES.

I just saw a commercial for this movie, and one of the praises was "The best movie of the Summer". Now, I enjoyed the first two films, and I'll see this one when it comes out on DVD. But uh... does that praise sound remarkably stupid to anyone else, given that Summer hasn't even started yet?

The Immortal on the Genesis (with some touches I added). There's also a DOS version (same graphics, no gore in the close up battles), and an Amiga version (graphics might be slightly better, no close up battles).

Should we start a pool on how long it takes threads to pop up in OffTop regarding what July, August and such should be theme-wise?

Sadly, only one person knows... and he ain't talkin'.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike (Dreamcast)- And now we have what some consider to be the pinnacle of the Street Fighter saga. As with the other SFIII games, it's a graphically gorgeous game, but now there are more characters, a bit of balance and gameplay tweaking, and of course, Chun'Li's terrifying huge tree trunk thighs. A very good fighter, that does have a nice amount of depth to it. While the default DC pad isn't the best for fighting games, there are plenty of third party pads (Madcatz made a great "Six button" one) that are perfect for this type of game. YES. Last Blade 2 (Dreamcast)- One of SNK's lesser known fighters, but also one of their better ones. Good character designs, great backgrounds, good tunes, very nice graphics, a healthy selection of fighting styles, and it all comes together with unpredictable difficulty levels that keep the player on their toes. Where the first game was a bit sloppy, the second one was much better in terms of balance and gameplay. As with SFIII:TS, the controls are fine if you use a pad better than the default DC one... and really, I had no problems with the default one to begin with. YES. Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast)- If you've played either "Project Gotham Racing" game on the XBox, then you know this game, as this is where it all started. The kudos are in place, the graphics are there, the courses are tough, and the controls are good. There are some nice tunes to listen to as you cruise the streets, and there are plenty of goodies to unlock. One of the better racers on the Dreamcast, and worthy of a YES. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2)- The offspring of old school RPG gameplay, and modern graphics. It plays so much like the DQ games of old, but it looks so much better. Very nice cel-shaded graphics, good animation, nice music, a long quest, nice voice acting, quirky characters, and some alchemy-like fun that allows you to actually make items to use in the game (potions, weapons, etc). It's a wonderful game that gets a YES easily from me. Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (XBox)- A flight game with a sense of style. The arcade-y controls make things easy to come to grips with, which makes enjoying the great graphics, good music, nice selection of "alternate reality" WWI/II-ish planes, fun missions, and nasty dog fights all the easier. You'll be flying through caves, buzzing huge zeppelin-like airships, and diving between buildings, and loving every minute of it. This is a great update to the PC games, that loses a little in terms of cinemas between missions, but gains that back in other areas. A nice twist on the "tried and true" mechanics of console flight games. YES.

Sega.- On the US Dreamcast, it's called "Fatal Fury". It's "Garou" in Japan and on the Neo-Geo. Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves (Dreamcast)- SNK's graphical answer to what Capcom was doing with its Street Fighter series by the time the third game came out. This game is a wonderfully animated fighter, with a virtually 100% new cast, that still relies on the familiar characters of old (Geese Howard's son, the kids of Kim Kaphwan, and an older Terry Bogard). It still plays like the SNK games we've all come to know, but it's been given a whole new look. A nice array of interesting characters, easy to pull off moves, cool backgrounds, a good fighting system, and an overall well produced game. A fitting swan song for such a long running series (it's supposed to be the final game in the Fatal Fury franchise). A YES to me. Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast)- The GC version may have added new stuff, but that doesn't lessen the quality of the DC version. Very nice graphics, interesting settings, fun characters, nice music and voice acting, and a quality RPG from start to finish. The whole sky pirating thing adds a nice twist to the old "sword and sorcery" deal that has been in console RPGs for decades, and gives the game some freshness along the way. A solid YES. Contra: Shattered Soldier (PS2)- Finally. After two games of questionable quality and different gameplay, we got a real Contra game. Graphically it doesn't push the PS2 to its limits, but they are clean and crisp. The action is intense, the tunes are good, the bosses are big and the explosions are plentiful. The controls are tight as well, so when you die (and you will), it's your fault and not the game's. A fine apology after the turd that was C: The Contra Adventure. YES. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)- What more needs to be said? Stylish, graphically gorgeous, challenging, cinematic... just get the thing. YES. Battle Engine Aquila (XBox)- I'd imagine there are a few people going "What the hell game is that?". Wouldn't surprise me, since this game came and went in a rather abrupt fashion. Basically, you pilot a ship as it either walks on land (think the ships from "War of the Worlds"), a jet. One's slow but powerful, the others fast but weaker. The goal is to help your army as it attacks the enemy. Sounds pretty straight forward, but in action, it's a lot of fun. Nice graphics and tunes, good control, challenging levels and objectives... it's a little known game that got good reviews, but went wholly ignored. A Borderline YES. Midway Arcade Treasures 1 (XBox)- In short, a buttload of Midway games on one disc. A lot of them have been released before, but never on a single disc. The emulation is very good, and the sheer number of classic games on here makes it one to enjoy for a long time. The PS2 version is also good, but the graphics have a shimmering effect on them that's a bit more noticeable than the XBox version. But regardless of which one you get, you'll be in retro heaven. Another good example of how to make compilations. YES.

And a happy fifth anniversary for this thread Tonight, I bring up a boss that I was reminded of as I sat here playing G-Darius on the PS2's Taito Legends. This little bugger's name is Ultimate Defender, and he's always been a pain in the ass for me. In the game, he's one of the smaller bosses, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in fire power. The first thing to know, is that he has a shield. You can't hurt him at all when it's up, so you have to knock the shield down by pumping shots into an orb on his chin. His it enough times, and the shield goes down so you can hurt him... for a short time. The shield goes back up after about 7 or 8 seconds, so you gotta be quick, and hope he doesn't dart into the background where you can't hurt in while the shield's down. Anyway, as you try and knock out the shield, you're dodging a lot of shots. Bullet spreads, long and steady lasers, laser spreads, missiles that explode into bullet spreads... this guy's got plenty to blow you up with, and they all alternate in a pattern of sorts. Of course, the bullets are so plentiful, that there's not much breathing room to be had as you try and dodge the shots. This boss also uses a twin Beta beam (the big, purple beam all the bosses in the game can fire eventually). One comes from his head, the other from his mouth, and one of them is always fired at wherever you are, while the other simply goes straight from its source. God help you if you've died a lot and don't have a good weapon here, as you'll be stuck with trying to take down his shield with a weak weapon, which means longer and more numerous stretches of bullet dodging. Couple this with the fact that he moves in and out of the background, which can lead to just getting the shield down, and then not being able to hit him at all. Not a fun boss.

There's no such thing as too many options for something like this.

Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast)- And now for something completely different... This game was an odd one when it came out. A unique graphical style, combined with Tony Hawk-esque grinding and jumps, lumped together with third-person action, all which tagging walls and such with graffiti. But the one thing that was easy to say, is that it was fun. A funky soundtrack playing as you skated your way around rivals, cops and the like, all so you could spray the walls with either a pre-set image, or ones made yourself. It was different to be sure, and though it was a commercial flop in sales, it still deserves a YES. Soul Calibur II (XBox)- Take everything that made the previous game great, and add even more to it. More characters, more stages, more climactic music, more exploring, better graphics, more moves, and even system specific character additions. I can only speak for the XBox version, but my understanding is that all of them turned out well. A YES undoubtedly. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege (PS2)- The big finale. This was supposed to bring the series to a close in a grand fashion. Wonderful cinemas, great graphics, 3D real time backgrounds (FINALLY), a time traveling twist to the gameplay, and the same fun, challenging action and settings that the series is known for up to this point. Sure, the whole series is an offshoot of the Resident Evil series, but it's a damn nice offshoot. YES. Capcom Classics Collection (XBox)- What can be said here? How about 22 games from Capcom, all emulated very well, with classics like Street Fighter II, Ghouls 'N Ghosts, 1942, Final Fight and Forgotten Worlds on a single disc. This disc is loaded with games that have earned high praise over the years, and they're still great plays today. This collection will keep you busy for a quite a while, is a fine example of how compilations should be done. YES. Of interesting note, this compilation is actually a collection of the five "Capcom Generation" games released in Japan for the Saturn and PS1, plus a number of new games. Ninja Gaiden Black (XBox)- Sure, this was a type of "cash in" by Tecmo, but it's still one helluva game. Basically, "Black" takes the already great original game, adds in most of the stuff from the Hurricane Packs that were downloadable off of Live, gives you a chance to play on an easier setting (Ninja Dog), and just generally made a great game better. NGB is a graphically gorgeous game, filled with tough levels, hard boss fights, cool cinemas, fun gameplay mechanics, and a hidden goody in the form of the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden (the regular version of NG for the XBox has the three NES NG games hidden in it). Copious amounts of difficulty await anyone willing to play this game, but it's done so well, that you keep coming back just to try and reach that next section. If you own an XBox, you gotta own this game. Just be sure to bring your patience with you. Yes.

Gradius III & IV (PS2)- This pack has Gradius III and Gradius IV on it. While IV is generally considered to be the weakest entry in the series, it's not a shmup. While it's not a bad shmup, it just doesn't do much that hasn't been done better in the first three games. The 3D graphics lost some of their charm and distinctiveness, and come off a bit bland looking. III however, is the reason to get this. Where the SNES version wasn't bad, it was still quite flawed. Massive amounts of slow down, removed levels, easy difficulty, and basically, a toned down port. This PS2 game has III in all it's original glory. The graphics are nice, the music is better, there's no slow down, the challenge is back up where it should be, and those tough 3D levels return. If you play the two back to back, you'll find quite a difference. A Borderline YES. Final Fantasy XII (PS2)- I'd never played a FF game before this one, but it's proven to be quite the introduction. Gorgeous graphics, very nice music, a broad reaching story that centers not on one person, but a group of people, interesting monster designs, very nice voice acting, fun side quests (hunts), and a long quest that will take you while to work through. Plus, you can go about battling the monsters in two different ways (one like a traditional turn-based RPG, or a more frantic "real time" style of fighting). It's a big, well done RPG. And hey... it's got Fran's well rendered ass too A YES without a doubt. ChuChu Rocket! (Dreamcast)- Here's a cutesy puzzle game that really grows on you the more you play it. The goal is to steer the train of mice to a rocket to escape the cat, by setting up arrows that will steer them around obstacles and such. As you progress, these levels get tougher, and require more thought to figure them out. It's got upbeat tunes, a funky graphical style, and is a lot fun. It also has great multiplayer modes, that makes the process even more fun, and gives this little game more lasting appeal. YES. Test Drive Le Mans (Dreamcast)- This racing game took a lot of people by surprise... including reviewers. Great graphics, very nice lighting and time lapse effects, fun and long tracks, cool weather effects, challenging AI that's not cheap, multiple modes (including a very cool "24hr" mode), and a feel to it that's hard to describe (the steering cars just "feels" right, especially in the first person mode). This is simply a wonderful racing game with all the right touches, and much better than the PS2 port that came after it (the PS2 version has frame rate issues). A solid YES to be sure.

Maybe your ISP blocked it (or a group of servers/IP addresses that it's included in)?

APRIL FOO- ... wait.

Did they look under the old sea chest that had the two oysters in it?

sephfire- Alien Front Online has a meta score of 7.4 over 4 reviews, and MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf has a meta score of 7.9 over 59 reviews. Alien Front Online (Dreamcast)- Want you asses kicked? Here ya go. This game is kind of a weird mix of 3rd person action, strategy, and vehicle combat. The graphics are quite nice for its time... colorful, interesting ship/tank designs, nice explosions. The controls are crisp, and there are a lot of things on the stages to use to your advantage (buildings, rocks, etc.). Some fun weapons to use as well. But man... is this game tough. You're always outnumbered and out gunned, and it's up to you to figure out how to bring down the enemies in each stage. It starts out simple enough, but gets damn hard by about the mid-way point. Still, it's not a cheap hard, it's a "you're going about it the wrong way"-hard. Not for everyone, but it gets a Borderline YES from me. Mars Matrix (Dreamcast)- Another one of the few shmups to come to the US DC. Colorful CGI graphics, big weapons, a wild scoring system, and insane amounts of bullets. This game is a prime example of "bullet hell" shmups. You will be inundated by the enemy, but there are ways to make it through. There's also a firing weapon, and an "up close" weapon that does more damage (and gives more scoring) for when you're feeling gutsy. While not the top DC shmup, it's still worth playing, and worth a Borderline YES. Tekken Tag Tournament (PS2)- Meh. That's the expression I had when I played this. The graphics were nice, but the gameplay had grown tiresome by this point. The "Dial-a-combo" stuff was dull, there was virtually no growth in the series' fighting system, the tag aspect was done better by SNK's King of Fighters series and Capcom's "vs" series, and it really didn't offer up much of anything new besides the prettier graphics. Sure, they gave you all the characters up to that point, and upped the graphics over the arcade version, but the arcade version was a boring fighting game was well. This game felt like a stop over between 3 and 4... like something to remind you that the series is still around... and just came off as something that added little to the series. Kind of fun to play at first, but it gets old very quickly. NO. Burnout 3: Takedown (XBox)- This is a racing game everyone can enjoy. Intense battling, cool crashes, great sense of speed, and you actually get points for causing the other cars to crash. Add in fun modes like the one where you crash to see how many points of damage you can accumulate, and being able to steer your crash, and it's a great combination of racing, and being able to take out your frustrations on the prick that bumped you out of first. A solid YES. R-Type Final (PS2)- What may indeed very well be the last shmup to the grace the world from this series (there's a possible strategy game being made called R-Type Tactics). Nice graphics, interesting stages, slow but challenging gameplay, multiple endings, and an absolute buttload of ships to be unlocked (many of which feature unique weapon setups to be used). This game has good replayability, and never comes off as being unfair. It's a good way for the series to go out. A YES. Capcom vs SNK 2 EO (XBox)- Where the first one was good, this one was even better. More characters, more stages, more fighting modes... more of everything. They also tweaked some of the balance issues from the first game. Like the prequel, this game's got nice animation, good graphics, and that trademark Capcom fighting set up that's been around for ages (easy to come to grips with). A solid YES for me. MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf (XBox)- Basically, take everything that made the first game great, touch up the graphics a little bit, give it a new story line, and add in the ability to hop in and out of the huge Mechs and hijack enemy Mechs. This game upped the sense of scale too, since you can run around with just your guy (who can be squished). The only real downside is that it clings a bit too closely to the first game, with a few additions here and there. But considering how good the first one is, that's not really that bad a thing. A solid YES. Grandia II (Dreamcast)- The DC might not have gotten that many RPGs, but this is arguably the best one. Great graphics, very nice music, a good story, a great battle system, very nice voice acting, and a touch of humor in spots. Even the translation wasn't botched, which some RPGs recently has suffered from. This RPG is done well on all sides, and the DC version has been called the best version to get in the past. It also doesn't feel drawn out at any point, which is quite a feat given how long it takes to win (40-60 hours). A quality RPG from start to finish. YES. Red Dog (Dreamcast)- Okay. I'm probably going to take shit for this, but this game is fun. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but once you grasp them, you'll have no problems blasting your way through. The buggy you control looks cool, you've got a good array of weapons and defenses to use, the wild level designs and enemies make for a good (but fair) challenge, the graphics are nice, and you get to blast everything. It's a simple game on the surface, but with a few plays, you find out there's more under its hood than meets the eye. It didn't get a wide release in the US, but if you can find it, it's worth picking up. A YES. Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)- Do I really have to explain this one? Great graphics for its time, nice tunes, easy but broad fighting system, lots of characters/stages... just get the damn thing if you don't own it already. YES. Silpheed: The Lost Planet (PS2)- I've generally been in the minority with this game. The graphics are very nice for it's time (especially the cinemas), the weapons are varied and customizable, the tunes are nice, and it improves on the Sega CD/PC original by quite a bit. The bosses are also fun, and unlike the original game, there's a lot more interaction with the backgrounds. It's not a deep shmup, but it is one worth getting. A Borderline YES. Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath (XBox)- Talk about a sleeper hit. This game was overlooked, and it truly is a crime. Great graphics, bizarre and fun weapons, an interesting story filled with entertaining characters, simple but effective gameplay, a healthy sized quest, and all sorts of little things and touches that really give this game's setting a sense of life. This really is a game not to be missed, as it's quite original. A solid YES without a doubt. By the way, have you considered putting up how many yes/no votes were cast for a given game, sephfire? Might be an interesting bit of info for games... especially ones that were just barely in the yes or no majority.

Judging by the fact that the video maker said the Bolin/Cobham video's music came about from weighting a needle down on a very warped copy, I'd say that song came first. If it's on a record, it's probably older than 1994 (the year DH came out). Edit: If I've pieced this together right, I believe the Bolin/Cobham song is from 1973, off Billy Cobham's album "Spectrum".

Even the tale about the duck who was mistaken for the princess' husband, and was blown by the princess, the queen and the court jester in one night?

It'd be easier to just eliminate any game from Sega, Nintendo or Square-Enix. That way you'd really force people to explore, and not just shuffle sideways a little to some other game from those companies.

AirForce Delta (Dreamcast)- I can remember when AeroWings came out, it sure was a pretty game... of flight practice. It looked so nice, but was boring as hell. GIMME SOME DAMN GUNS! Thankfully, AFD filled that need. Graphically, if looked very nice for its time. Lots of jets to fly, plenty of missions, some cool "boss" encounters (i.e. really gun heavy bases and ships), decent tunes, and that fun arcade-y style of gameplay. Story-wise though, it was lacking. It's story wasn't bad, it was just generic. But the rest of the game made up for this. A Borderline YES from me. Ace Combat 4 (PS2)- A good looking flight game, with some fun missions, good graphics, and plenty of planes to grab. While I find it to be below AC5, it's still worth playing. A Borderline YES. Doom 3 (XBox)- I remember how many people felt this game couldn't be done justice on Microsoft's bulky system. Yet they got proven wrong... sort of. It's got the look, sound and atmosphere of the PC original, but it was trimmed down to fit in the XBox's smaller amount of system RAM. As a result, the levels aren't as big. Also, the frame rate took a hit, so it's not as smooth as it's PC cousin (which still runs better on a Radeon 9800 Pro than the XBox). So while I love the PC version, the XBox version took a few too many hits. A NO from me. Panzer Dragoon Orta (XBox)- A fine entry to the series. Good story, great music, amazing graphics, nice artwork and character designs, and plenty of intense shooting and dodging. What looks to sadly be the final entry for this at times overlooked series, is also every bit as good as the ones before it. If this game is indeed to be the finale, it was a grand one. A definite YES to me.

It's been a month already? Better nudge this so it'll still be around.

sephire- Castlevania: Curse of Drakness on the XBox has a meta score of 7.2 with 29 reviews. Alien Hominid (PS2)- What started as a single level Flash game, became a full on PS2 Run 'N Gun classic. A great and original art style, a good sense of humor, massive carnage, one hell of a challenge in the second half, nice animation, and just great production values all the way through. YES. Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (XBox)- One of the few Castlavanias to not feature a Belmont (or a Belmont off shoot) as the main character. While the game's graphics aren't much of a step up from the previous 3D outing ("Lament"), the game itself holds up better. The Innocent Devils are a fun addition to the gameplay, having combos at your disposal ups the gameplay anti a bit, and the boss fights are fun. Top it off with some very nice music, an interesting story, and memorable characters (with decent voicing acting to boot), and it's a fine addition to the Castlevania family. That's not to say it's perfect though. Again, the graphics are a bit tame considering the era the game was released, and the level designs are still a bit lacking. But the high points of the game do elevate it into the Borderline Yes realm for me. Halo (XBox)- The first true "must own" title for the XBox. A great musical score, very good (for the day) graphics, plenty of action, some good voice over work, good enemy AI, and one hell of a twist about mid-way through the game. It also offers up a good challenge. Sure, the repeating corridor graphics get old after a while, but that's a small dent on an otherwise quality game. YES. Metal Slug 3 (XBox)- And here ladies and gentlemen, is what 2D gaming awesomeness looks like. This game took what was already a great franchise, and shot into infamy. The 2D artwork in this game is amazing, with every last little things having ridiculous amounts of detail and animation to it. The trademark sense of humor shines through, and the art style still looks fresh. The challenge in this game is hardcore (level 5 is insanely long), the music is great, the variety of enemies, stages and things to drive is high, multiple branching paths on each mission... the list of greatness goes on and on with this game. The Xbox handled this game well, and did away with the "shimmering" effect of the Japanese PS2 port, so the graphics show through better. Like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, this game showed that 2D is still alive and well, and can shine with the best 3D has to offer when it's done by people with real talent. A huge YES for this one. Daytona USA (Dreamcast)- Arcade-y racing... gotta love it. A good amount of tracks (all or which are manipulated in four ways), easy to handle power sliding controls, great graphics for the time, those trademark and unsettlingly infectious Daytona tunes, and plenty of car variations to unlock as you race. After the disaster that was Daytona USA on the Saturn, and the iffy "improvement" with Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition on the same system, this DC game brought the series back in fine form. Not the best racing game ever made, but a fine example of arcade-y racing nonetheless. A YES in my book.

Why not just go with Boss Month again? I seem to recall a lot of idiocy surrounding trying to make July and August into theme months, and a lot of flames over the idea... all the while, a good number of people enjoyed the Boss themes. Boss Month part II makes sense to me.

Oops. But yeah, that's a Europe release. The US PS2 got GGX2, with the US XBox getting GGX2#Reload.

Um, sephfire? There is no Guilty Gear X2 #Reload for the PS2. It's just Guilty Gear X2, and it has a meta of 8.5 over twenty reviews. Dead or Alive Ultimate (Xbox)- Basically, this pack is the original Saturn version of DoA, and tweaked version of DoA2. While the original game was a decent fighter, the insane amount of tit bounce made it hard to take seriously. DoA2 changed that. Sure, the mamories still bounce, but it's greatly reduced, and the fighting engine was given a needed work over. It became a real fighting game, and a good one at that. Great graphics, multi-tiered fighting arenas, counters, and some vicious moves... it brought Team Ninja to the fighting world properly. Now, take the original DoA2, beef up the graphics, add all kinds of extras to everything, throw in online play, and that's DoA2 Ultimate. While DoA3 and DoA4 may have upped the anti a little, it's DoA2 that still stands out as the best in the series to me, and this version of it is the best of the mass DoA2 releases bunch. A YES for me. Otogi: Myth of Demons (XBox)- While the concept of hack 'n slash has been around for a while, it was this game that really brought it into the 3D world with style. A wild and weird tales set in real Japanese mythos, gorgeous graphics, a tough challenge, varied levels, cool bosses, tight control, an actual friendly 3D camera, and simple controls that let you focus on the intense action at hand. This game is what other 3D hack 'n slashers wish they could be. YES. Ikaruga (Dreamcast)- Another masterpiece from Treasure. Very nice graphics, a vicious challenge, and a real twist on the shmup formula with its "light/dark" bullet absorption scheme. It's a game of skill, dodging, endurance, and perhaps most importantly, timing. Without the "light/dark" aspect, it would still be a good shmup. But with it, it's a great one. Yes. Street Fighter III: Double Impact (Dreamcast)- Everyone knows "Third Strike" is considered the pinnacle of the SFIII trilogy. But the two that came before it were nothing to sneeze at. Amazing animation, a virtually new cast of characters, their depth of gameplay, and there are two games on this disc to boot. The third incarnation polished everything up and added new stuff, but there's no reason to abandon the first two games for the third. A borderline YES. Zero Gunner II (Dreamcast)- Psikyo games have always had a look a feel all their own. Short levels, big mech bosses, and a simple scoring system that still had some depth to it if you tried. What this game did, was take their trademark traits, bring them into the 3D world, and then add a gameplay feature that gives the shmup concept an interesting spin... "focal points". Basically, hold down a button, and your helicopter will keep it's nose pointed at a single spot on the screen, as it rotates all around that point. No more straight forward "fly up/left and blow shit up", now it's "aim everywhere". This makes for a different experience, and presents a whole new set of challenges as the enemies and bosses move around the screen. It's a fun twist on an old genre that would be a shame to pass up. YES. Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast)- Ah, Sonic's first real gaming 3D outing. Pretty graphics, catchy 80's tunes, and a fun challenge. It also has a lot of replayability to achieve the best ending. Sadly, it also has a less than cooperative camera, questionable voicing, and dodgey hit detection. It's a fun game to be sure, but I'm not 100% certain I can call it a must have. A borderline NO for this one. Guilty Gear X2 (PS2)- What many would consider the series' finest hour. High-res art, very nice animation, a heavy metal soundtrack, lots of wild characters, a good fighting engine, a hard challenge, and a much, much better gameplay balance than the painfully lopsided Guilty Gear X. The XBox version (called GGX2#Reload) adds a few minor extras here and there, but changes little else, and the sequels that followed this one tinkered with the formula and broke it. A great fighting game that's not to be missed, and a YES for sure. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance (XBox)- Good ol' Dungeons and Dragons. Here's another example of 3D hack 'n slash done right. Big levels, clean graphics, a good story, nice tunes, all sorts of stuff to upgrade on your character, several characters to choose from, and some fun boss battles. And unlike the recent Gauntlet games, it's just long enough to be fulfilling without getting horribly dragged out. Couple this with playing co-op with a friend, cool little graphical touches like your character changing their look depending on what armor/weapon you have, good lip syncing for the cinemas, and nice animation on everything, and this is a hack 'n slash to be enjoyed. A YES. MechAssault (XBox)- The continuation of the MechWarrior series... sort of. While not related to the PC games, it is set in the same universe. It's also one hell of a great Mech game. Amazing for the time graphics, great attention to even the smallest details (watch the little touches as you blast buildings apart), tough missions that don't feel cheap in their challenge, "arcade-y" controls that simplify the action while still giving you complete control over your Mech (sans weapon load out), and a nice sense of scale. It's one of the best console Mech games out there, and it gives the PC games a run for their money. A quality game across the board, that gets a resounding YES.