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

Just wrapped up the first dungeon, and it was great fun. Gale boomerang, wind puzzles, monkeys everywhere. It wasn't particularly involved, but hey, first dungeon.

By this point I'm really hooked on Twilight Princess's mechanics. Wolf Link is different enough that it's a distinct experience from playing regular Link, but similar enough that it's pretty easy to take care of business. Plus running around and growling at enemies is surprisingly fun.

So far, the plot hasn't surprised me. There was a moment analogous to that in Wind Waker where Link descends into underwater Hyrule, but it was hinted at and introduced gradually, so the shock value wasn't nearly that of WW's. Nevertheless I'm hoping/expecting something big comes up later.

There are a lot of stylistic enhancements to classic Zelda, for instance when you press A to put away your sword at the end of a battle sequence, Link spins the blade with a flourish before sheathing it. Controller sound effects are neat too, though their frequency is a bit startling (sometimes it seems like almost every action has a controller sound effect).

The reviews floating around the web so far seem to indicate that Twilight Princess is nothing new, some easy romp through Hyrule to break in the Wii. I've got plenty of game left to explore, but personally I disagree. Maybe I haven't spent as much time collecting heart pieces as I should, but TP has actually struck me as quite difficult for how early in the game I am; and it's definitely a fresh experience, if using an established engine.

If it follows the Zelda story formula established in Ocarina, Twilight Princess should become super-compelling within another dungeon or two.

Progress: Finished Forest Temple

I've never been big on sports (except maybe Mega Man Soccer), so I wasn't expecting much out of this except some cheap thrills as an apartment activity. I wouldn't say I was wrong, but I totally underestimated Wii Sports. I might argue that it's the best party game since Smash Bros. To contextualize this, I played Wii Sports with my three roommates, so we had a full team so to speak.

The games themselves are something of a mixed bag. Tennis is probably the most fun for partying situations: extremely easy to play, and way too entertaining to watch your friends flail around with a racket. Baseball, none of us have figured out how to bat yet, so it's hard to enjoy. Bowling is pretty cool and easy to play, but not as exciting as a time-based game. Golf is pretty fun by design; we're having some issues with club-swinging (mostly putting), but that's probably a learning curve situation. Boxing is actually pretty exhausting since it involves so much arm movement, which has its own pros and cons.

Like I said, partying with Wii Sports is way fun. There's more to it too, like a Training mode that allows you (and optionally your pals) to play mini-games related to the five core games and hone your skills, and a Fitness program (for the solo player) that's like Brain Age but without the "brain" part. I haven't explored these much so far, but I may delve further into them at some point.

Progress: Tried out all 5 games, haven't done much else