I had been looking forward to this game somewhat before its release, it being billed as a Double Dragon-style beat-em-up game, with the added bonus of the anime series' alchemy abilities. Unfortunately FMA:DS underdelivers in almost every way, save for a fun main game, which curiously you must unlock by finishing Story Mode.

Initial reports of export copies expressed great dissatisfaction with the fact that the game's story mode follows the script of the anime, and no more, but this was not something I really cared about. However, as I played it, the significance of these reports became more apparent; the majority of the game's running time is spent in "cutscenes" that relay this story, rather than actual game playing. And I hesitate to call them cutscenes at all, because the scene is almost always static, subtitled with the dialog next to animated faces (and with infrequent voice-overs). I don't mind the story being the same one I've heard before, but I do mind it being the main focus, time-wise, of the game, and being implemented so poorly.

The actual game, as played in Story Mode, is not dissimilar from your garden variety side-scrolling fighting game of yore, except in one crucial aspect: variety. There are very, very few moves at your disposal, which makes the fights more of a button-mashing challenge than anything else, even in some boss encounters. The lack of alchemic options is fairly disappointing, as all you have is a selectable offensive move (most of them are remarkably alike) and a single defensive move.

Here I should point out that the controls for this game are slightly weird. The B and X buttons will jump, whereas A and Y are for attacking, and alchemy is performed not with buttons at all, but by pressing in the bottom-left and -right corners of the touch screen. Why this was not mapped to the L and R shoulder buttons, which are unused for the entirety of the game, I do not know. As a side-note, the puzzle segments of the game that use the touch screen are juvenile at best, the most challenging of which is a five-step Simon game.

As I complain about the lack of variety in Story Mode, though, I should note that the real winning part of this game - and the only thing keeping it from being completely terrible - is the mode you unlock after completing Story Mode, namely Character Mode. Story Mode limits you to playing as Edward nearly 100% of the time, but in Character Mode you can play through the game again, including some new scenes but without the story sequences, as one of six different characters. Each of them has different alchemy attacks, which are the same ones you could select from previously, but work to greater effect when wielded by their intended master, and each character also has different speeds and attack strengths and weaknesses. So the variety of characters actually rounds out the game pretty well, once you've already beaten it, and the cutscene-less game is actually really fun, though short. It would be absolutely perfect for a wireless multiplayer game, but unfortunately FMA:DS does not have any multiplayer ability.

Graphically, the game is pretty well composed, everything's in 2D but it's well drawn and it all moves fluidly. The music is pretty bland for the most part, as are the sound effects. The voice overs are pretty good some times, but other times can sound grating.

There is a ton of stuff in this game, extra little unlockable bits to fiddle around with, everything from a sound test and image gallery to a "Character Clock" where you can have a selected character's voice used as a (functional, if impractical) alarm clock. There are also a bunch of minigames, and though most of them are awful, a few aren't bad.

In short, FMA:DS has some good going for it (Character Mode), but a great deal of shortcomings. Let me put it this way: it's pretty fun for an anime license game.

Progress: Finished all Character Modes

Samus Aran's morph ball mode looks kind of like a pinball, doesn't it? Well, someone thought so. Metroid Prime Pinball is pretty much what you would expect, conceptually, a pinball game with Metroid (Prime) trappings. Luckily, the development studio behind it learned a lesson from the much-antagonized Sonic Spinball, and so MPP doesn't pretend to be something it's not; though it has "battle mode" minigames, bomb and missile powerups, and even a health meter, it is still a pinball game.

One might think this limits the game in terms of fun factor, but the Metroid formula enhancements actually work quite well. This is no high adventure epic in a sci-fi wilderness, but it is a rollicking game of pinball.

Unlocking more tables is actually pretty difficult, as you have to complete a series of tasks (moving from one table to another) within three balls; there is no incremental progress. Nevertheless I look forward to the challenge of it.

Progress: Unlocked Phazon Mines

Though I have always been - and still am - pretty terrible at strategery, Fire Emblem is a series I have always wanted to try, and Path of Radiance has recently (through gift-giving) become very accessible.

I started on Easy mode, and so despite my lack of ability, it is very not-hard. So, when I eventually finish I suppose I should give it another go in Normal mode. The story is so far intriguing, though there is still a long way to go, and the gameplay is more complex (= good) than I expected given the nature of the combat. There is considerable customization and variation in the equipment and classes.

One of the game's biggest victories is making itself simple to understand, despite the depth and breadth of what is going on in a battle. More advanced options are introduced at a comfortable pace as the game goes on. Looking good so far.

Progress: Chapter 8

The action doesn't ramp up much - which isn't to say that PoR ends up disappointing; it just starts out stronger than most games are willing to. The dual-character system is brilliant, and the spells and techniques are a ton of fun, too. Weapon customization isn't as big a factor as in Dawn of Sorrow, but is still around. And, while not of the tremendous length I was hoping for, Portrait of Ruin is still probably the longest Castlevania I've played.

Of course one of the coolest parts of any Castlevania nowadays is the extras you unlock after beating it, and PoR has a ton to offer there, too. In the game you fight two vampire sisters, and an extra mode allows you to play as them: this mode isn't heavy on customization, but is played exclusively with the directional pad and stylus/touchscreen. There's also an extra mode for playing as Richter Belmont and the young girl Maria, which is played just as a classic Castlevania game (like Julius Mode from DoS). There's even a secret unlockable Old Axe Armor mode, which allows you to play as one of the game's enemies, Old Axe Armor.

All told, I will say that Charlotte's spell-switching system felt cumbersome at times, and I was a little let-down when the fifth through eighth portrait worlds turned out to be very similar to the first-fourth ones. Nonetheless, the game is fantastically fun and pleasing, and having played all the GBA and DS Castlevanias, I'm comfortable in saying that this is the best one yet.

[edit] Oh, and I forgot to mention the WiFi modes; there are two, a co-op Boss Rush run (one player as each partner), and a Shop Mode (which doesn't work exactly as you might imagine, but is still ingenius). They work great and are welcome additions to the game.

Progress: 1000%, finished most extra modes

Progress: Gave Up -- I don't play it much solo, but it's still the #1 party game

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow set the bar quite high for the DS's next Castlevania. What amazes me about Portait of Ruin is just how quickly it proves itself more than a worthy successor.

Exhibit A is the wealth of core gameplay elements. There are two characters: Jonathan, a brash young man with a whip, and Charlotte, a magically endowed schoolgirl. Controls for managing this dynamic are surprisingly fluid; the X button will toggle which character you play as, and the A button will summon or dismiss the other character to your immediate aide. Your ally can attack, take damage, help you solve puzzles, and even grant new abilities - for instance, jumping off your partner's shoulders to achieve new heights.

Jonathan uses physical attacks and special techniques, and the weapon-switching system that's been developed over the past several 2D Castlevanias; that is, he uses several different types of weapons, from short swords and long swords to maces and axes and spears. Charlotte is a bit different, her primary weapon being a book that can manifest itself as a sword (and, I suspect, other things as I get more of them), but her primary means of attack is through casting powerful magic spells. Unlike Jonathan's techniques which cast instantly, Charlotte's spells will have a less powerful effect unless a casting time is fully satisfied. It's just the amount of time to make the difference between loosing a quick volley and unleashing a killer spell.

Exhibit B is the storytelling. So far the plot sequences are a bit dialog-heavy, but they really flesh out the characters very well, despite an abrupt intro. There's also a great supporting cast, namely a monk who runs the game's shop, and a ghost who teaches you new abilities in return for fulfilling his Quests.

Exhibit C is the game's sheer length. Granted, I cannot really know this for certain yet, but my projection is that this will be a lengthy adventure. The titular "portraits" (ruinous ones, at that) are Mario 64-style paintings that lead to new worlds to explore, with their own environs and bosses. Each of these has its own world map, in addition to the map for Dracula's Castle. Thus, after only a few hours, I have greater than 100% map completion.

Exhibit D is the sensory experience. It's a definite graphical step up from the already well-off Dawn of Sorrow, and all the art is crystal clear and visually engaging. The audio is perhaps even more impressive, with not only pleasing music, but some of the richest sound effects in any game. Jonathan and Charlotte yell out each other's names when you switch characters. Spellcasts and certain attacks have spoken accompaniment as well, as do the NPCs. And not only does it sound great, it's in English!

I'm already floored. Unless PoR stops itself short, this promises to be a triumph of a game all around.

Progress: 101.9%

Progress: Gave Up -- maxed several stats, got bored with others

I decided that returning to Contact and buffing up Terry's stats would be a good way to wind myself down from the Zelda high. There's a trick with a particularly powerful cow that you can use to max weapon skills easily, but other things like defensive and magic attributes can be somewhat laborious.

It isn't immediately apparent, but a lot of content opens up after the ending of the game. There's a lot of mystery about Contact even now, but it's highly suggested that you explore everywhere and talk to every NPC you can. Exploration is something I dig, though I've already been everywhere, so it could be seen as a little monotonous.

Thusly the replay value isn't quite all I had cracked it up to be; but it's still pretty fun.

Progress: grinding up stats

My statements about post-game collectibles may have been slightly exaggerated. Though Twilight Princess is significantly long, the vast majority of that game length is the core game - questing around, solving dungeons, felling boss monsters. Personally I don't see anything wrong with that, since there is still as much to do outside the game as your average Zelda, maybe slightly more since this time around there are 5 heart pieces to a container.

There are some things with the game that could be improved upon, to be sure; for instance, after the first dungeon, there is a complete flood of rupees, filling Link's pockets before you know what's happening. And some methods of speedy transportation come long after they would be considered useful. But in spite of these, Twilight Princess is an amazingly epic adventure and wildly great fun to play. (See previous statements.)

Progress: Killed boss, 20 heart containers

About 45 hours later, I wrapped up what is one of the more enjoyable boss encounters I've played in my gaming career. The storyline did end up surprising me a bit; without spoiling much, I can say that it's definitely respectable, and maybe even a little touching? Your mileage may vary.

The Wii poses obvious questions about control, especially when it's implemented in a pre-existing game engine (Wind Waker's basic battle mechanics are still here for the most part). There is some awkwardness at first, but you'll get used to the pointing and the sword gestures, and before you know it it'll be second nature.

The new gameplay elements are, for lack of a better term, wicked awesome. Take the basic Z-targeting and sword swinging of Ocarina and Wind Waker; then add no less than seven unlockable special moves (which you learn by finding an ancient swordsman) and a slew of brand new items, including a wrecking ball, a magic wand that controls statues, and dual-hookshots! Now do it while riding a horse. True to the precedent set by Ocarina of Time, just tooling around Hyrule Field for no particular reason is way fun. But there is enough to the game - collecting heart pieces, poe souls, and golden bugs to name a few - that you'll usually have a reason anyway.

Twilight Princess is nine dungeons long, and though the last two are rather short (more like brief crescendos leading up to the final battle), they're all designed brilliantly with a bunch of new stuff to puzzle you. For one, in the Goron Mines at Death Mountain, Link needs to use his Iron Boots to walk on magnetic walls and ceilings. Weird, wild stuff.

Graphically I'm very impressed. Of course there are some visible shortcomings (which I find more than understandable considering this was/is supposed to be a Gamecube game), but a lot of it looks superb, especially the water. And I never once noticed the slightest hitch in running speed. Musically, well, TP's score might be the best thing to happen to the Zelda series in ages, with flawless arrangement and new, mood-setting themes. Hyrule Field at night is one of the coolest sounding pieces of music I've laid ears on.

I do not hesitate to state that Twilight Princess is the most engaging and fun entry in the Zelda series. And to top it off, there is a veritable ton of stuff to do; I expect getting all the extras to put me past 50 gameplay hours quite easily. A thrilling triumph and a modern classic, this is why you're getting a Wii this season (or hopefully the Gamecube version of TP doesn't suffer too many casualties).

Progress: Killed boss, still got hearts left