A tactical game with an action twist and an English accent. Future Tactics is set in a somewhat post-apocalyptic world of... you know, the setting isn't really that interesting. There are evil alien monsters and you have to blow them up. It's turn-based, but units move in real-time when their turn is up, and you can even jump over stuff. However, all attacks (as far as I know) are projectiles, usually guns, but sometimes lobbing grenades. When you attack, you must do a short series of steps to lock on to a target, the accuracy of which will affect your hit.

The cool part about this game (okay, the main cool part - the soundtrack is also pretty spiffy, if a bit loud in some places) is the malleable terrain. When you shoot objects, they can fly up in the air, fall down, roll around; explosions will actually make craters in the ground. This may not have been thought all the way through - after a few hits in the same place, you'll basically have a tiger trap in front of you - but it's a nice thought. Unfortunately the lack of variety in gameplay hasn't compelled me to follow through with this one thus far.

Progress: Third mission

I-Ninja is loud-mouthed, rambunctious, and full of rage and wanton violence. He's the worst ninja ever. But, he's pretty fun to use as a means of slicing guys up. The game's failings are clear from the outset, but there are a few things it does pretty well.

Combat is simplistic, but not without merit. In addition to just running into guys and slashing around, there are certain scripted encounters with miniboss-type enemies which will place Ninja and the baddie in an anime-styled action tube, with leaping and slashing and so forth. There are also some environmental puzzles ala Prince of Persia (though not nearly as impressive). The level design is somewhat eye-catching, if a little monotonous; the enemies use robots and have control panels everywhere, so a lot of areas look the same.

There's even some character growth, though in the end it's somewhat disappointing. Ninja receives sword upgrades based on the amount of enemies he's killed, but you'll have the final sword long before you even have access to the last levels of the game. You can also get health upgrades by earning new belts, which in turn are from completing more levels, but, more importantly, you need higher belts to access new areas. And, apparently, someone decided that playing each level once isn't enough to proceed; each level has multiple 'grades' you can earn (by doing alternate challenges like a time attack, or collecting red coins, or defeating all the enemies), and you'll need to do these to open up the game farther. This is what's kept me in what I believe is the final area of the game, without the impetus to finish it up.

Progress: Moon Base

It's not quite a Mega Man title, as it's full of the Battle Network mythos and even has weird Battle Chip mechanics. It's not quite a Battle Network title, because it's really a sidescrolling platformer in the vein of classic Mega Man. What Network Transmission ends up being is confused and unentertaining.

Progress: Finished first stage

Being released around the same time as Geist and Psi-Ops didn't really work to Second Sight's benefit. As of this time I've barely made my way into this one. It definitely has some interesting trappings of its own, but the mixture of control schemes for shooting and psychic powers thus far fails to impress me.

Progress: Experimentation

Imagine you're playing Super Mario 64, but instead of Mario, you're controlling a weird little wolfman-child-thing. Also, instead of collecting Stars and Coins, you're collecting Wraithhearts and Wraithheart Shards. Also, instead of saving the princess from the evil king Bowser, you're saving the universe(?) from the evil king I don't care what his name is.

Now, imagine that there are metal claw-gloves on your hands that are, individually, bigger than your head. This isn't just the main character's gimmick, this is what playing the game feels like. Trying to maneuver, climb walls, and even fight shit is an exercise in tolerance.

Without having played too much of the game - I think I have like six out of 60 of the whatevers I need to beat it - I'm going to pre-emptively give this game a rating of 1/10. That one point is for having the chutzpah to actually be released in a world which clearly does not welcome this game.

Progress: 6 Wraithhearts

The game portion, e.g. running and gunning (though not simultaneously), is really excellently done. Upgrading abilities through collecting blood, enemy weak spots, a wide variety of enemy types and attacks, and different character specialties suited for different situations all make up a great gameplay premise. With a few special ability exceptions, the killing flows ultra-smooth. The storyline was pretty interesting, too. Unfortunately, by halfway through the second-to-last chapter of the game, it basically becomes a long cinema sequence where you hold the 'A' button between cutscenes. Not to mention the confusing nature of the ending, it is really just long and kind of dull. Nonetheless I really enjoyed the rest of it. A short ride, but very fun while it lasted, with the exception of the ending sequence. To boot, the highly stylized graphics and eccentric soundtrack are very pleasing to the senses.

Progress: Complete

Some later portions of the game are really markedly difficult, which I would regard as 'challenging' if it weren't for the repetitive and monotonous nature of continuing after death. Especially in areas where death comes swiftly and instantly (for instance, a morph ball sequence where crushing pistons will not damage you, but kill you completely). As I've said, it lacks the storytelling elements that made Metroid Prime and 2 epic adventures; the 'hunters' theme is a neat idea, but really no match for running antagonists like increasingly powerful space pirates or Dark Samus. It also has the same environmental issue as MP2: Echoes, namely that most of the game's areas look extremely alike. There is a hot world, but only one or two rooms actually have lava; there is a cold world, but the ice is often encased with electronic regalia; and there are two space stations. The bosses have the same problem - there are eight Octolith bosses, but only two types of boss and four 'versions' of each. Plus a final boss, but that thing was so mind-numbingly easy I'm hesitant to count it. Hunters and Echoes also share the rather trite concept of collecting items; in Hunters, you must find three Alimbic Artifacts to unlock each of the eight Octoliths.

There are six highly unique alternate weapons, which would be good for variety, except most of them are pretty pointless. The sniper weapon is used in some puzzle solving, and occasionally a fire enemy will be extra vulnerable to the frost weapon or vice versa; by and large the alt weapons are meaningless in single player. They're probably more useful in multiplayer (since they can have secondary effects like freezing or distorting vision), which by the way seems like a solid offering, but I have little interest in it (not a shooter fan). Some stuff was fun and some stuff not so much, but the inconsequential ending made it very clear that Adventure Mode was not the primary focus of the game design.

Progress: Complete

I promptly blazed through the story missions in the span of about a day. There are only ten missions, and no alternate paths like Star Fox 64, though some of the missions consist of multiple parts and can actually be a bit lengthy. In terms of replay, there isn't a lot here, other than going for a high score, and unlocking (two) extra parts of the Versus multiplayer. Which, incidentally, I haven't spent much time with, but appears kind of underwhelming (there are a lot of options in terms of levels and armaments, but no AI bots, so the battlefields are rather barren).

Followers of the franchise will know that Assault consists of a combination of Arwing, Landmaster, and on-foot 'Pilot' segments, but know that it's nothing like the travesty that was Star Fox Adventures. For one, the Arwing portions are great; and the on-foot missions are actually some of the most fun, due in large part to the various weapons available (including machine guns, gatling guns, homing rocket launchers, and sniper rifles). The Landmaster is pretty dull, but isn't used very often. What's really cool is that in many situations, you must actually use a combination of means to complete a mission, e.g. infiltrate a building on foot, then hop in your Arwing to fly to the next target. The switching dynamic is seamless and extremely well done. Worth mentioning are also the two rail-shooting segments, where Fox hops on the wing of a friend's fighter and blasts trailing enemies; simple, but fun.

The game also looks and sounds incredible. The Arwing boost effects are dazzling, and the Star Fox Assault Orchestrated Soundtrack isn't just a bonus for soundtrack aficionados - the game was actually scored by the Tokyo New City Orchestra. Stunning presentation and a brilliantly fun single player, despite a lack of replay and underwhelming multiplayer; a brief but great play.

Progress: Complete

Basically, you are a ghost, and have the ghostly power to possess things: inanimate objects (like fire extinguishers and computers), small animals (rats and dogs), or people, some of whom have guns. Highlights:

-Controls are pretty good, sometimes aiming is slow but otherwise it's easy to do what you want to do
-The game is good-looking with all the graphical trappings you would expect from a shooter game
-Sound effects and music are good but not memorable
-The single-player story campaign is interesting, challenging, and pretty fun
-There are puzzles, some in the form of possession chains (which are cool), and some in the form of shining light on mirrors (which aren't as cool)
-The multiplayer modes are almost all terrible; standard deathmatches are ok, but nothing really special
-There is basically no replay value
-Part of the game allows you to play a Simon-like minigame of driving rivets into iron beams
-The final boss fight is like flying a space shuttle through a tornado while blindfolded

Progress: Complete

Namco's Tales series, even today, is known to stand out among other RPG franchises for its unique battle system and story element trademarks. Remarkably, not much has changed since the series' first inception: Tales of Phantasia, for the Super Famicom. Though later remade for the Playstation, it wasn't until a third rendition on the GBA that an official American release would be made (although the SFC version was popularly fan-translated by DeJap).

The introduction to Phantasia shows a group of four adventurers battling an evil king, Dhaos. Dhaos is critically wounded, and escapes at the last moment, through magic; but when he arrives at his destination, the adventurers are waiting for him, and seal Dhaos within a tomb protected by the power of two magical amulets. Here, it is hoped, he will rest for all eternity.

Flash forward several years, and we see the young hero of the story, Cless, going out on a hunt with his childhood friend Chester. But when they return, they find that their home town of Totus has been razed, the villagers murdered - including Cless's parents and Chester's sister. Through a series of events, a nefarious military commander being manipulated by the spirit of Dhaos takes back the two amulets that controlled his seal, and sets him free. In the hopes of finding a way to save the world, the researcher Morrison sends Cless back in time so that he might gain help from the long-lost powers of Magic and return to defeat Dhaos.

In all, the story spans three time periods, five main characters, and numerous cities and dungeons. The plot development never lets up, and is rarely bogged down with excessive dialogue, but portrays powerful situations and events with brilliance. The ending is also extremely poignant and makes the whole of the game seem even more significant in retrospect. Not to mention, the characterization of the protagonists and their relationships is very well-executed.

Good writing is futile if there isn't a great game to back it up, and even ten years later, the fast-paced action of Phantasia doesn't disappoint. Overworld and dungeon exploration is fairly typical; but here lies the first incarnation of the Linear-Motion Battle System, which remains largely unchanged due to the impeccable original design. Part menu-based RPG and part side-scrolling fighting game, the LMBS puts the player in direct control of the lead character, Cless. Move with the D-pad, and use directional controls in combination with the attack button to execute a few combat moves - a swiping attack, a stabbing attack, long-range jumping and lunging attacks, as well as special techniques that range from a series of rapid slices to transforming into a phoenix and crashing headlong into a foe. Controlling Cless is tight and intuitive, and getting in the enemy's face is a real rush.

At the same time, up to three other members of your party are on the battle screen, providing backup healing, attacks, or magic spells. You can manually select a spell to cast from an in-battle menu (that pauses the real-time combat to allow you to make decisions), when the situation requires a precise and immediate response, or set an AI characteristic for each ally to have them act on their own. Phantasia's AI choices aren't terribly sophisticated, but they still get the job done well enough that in a typical fight you won't even have to distract yourself from Cless's melee combat if you don't want to. Each character has unique sets of abilities - Chester will fire arrows from a distance to great effect; the healer, Mint, will keep the party alive and healthy; the summoner Klarth can beckon forth the power of spirits to perform magical attacks on the enemy; and the witch Arche can cast powerful destructive magic.

Some segments of Phantasia can be somewhat challenging, but for the most part the game is never too hard (and only sometimes too easy) if you don't flee from battle and always keep your experience up. The game does have a fairly frequent rate of random enemy encounters, but since battle is the best part of the game, it is seldom a chore. This can be irritating in very long dungeons, where the same enemies keep popping up again and again and the end of the dungeon remains elusive, but fortunately this only happens a couple of times; the majority of the game's dungeon areas are quick and to the point. And, there are cheaply-available items (Holy Bottles and Dark Bottles) that will reduce or increase encounter rates, respectively, to keep the game going at the pace you want it to.

Graphically, Tales of Phantasia is a real gem. The sprite-based Super Famicom graphics can even put some modern-generation games to shame in terms of design and attention to detail. The world is beautifully crafted, characters and enemies are drawn to be lively and animated, and in-combat events really stretch the limits of the hardware. There are even several portions of the game with Mode 7 faux-3D, including airship flight.

In terms of audio, Phantasia was years ahead of its time. The developers went to great lengths implementing highly sophisticated software hacks that delivered much better audio than anyone thought the Super Famicom could do. In addition to an excellent soundtrack and flawless sound execution, Tales of Phantasia has its own voice acting, both in the introduction of the game, and accompanying almost every special ability used in battle. The game as a whole is an amazingly pleasant experience to the ears.

Phantasia starts off fast and can fool a player into expecting a short jaunt through the game-world, but keeps going through an epic storyline and never lets up until the end. This reviewer spent a good 30 hours from start to finish, and that's neglecting a handful of end-game sidequest activities, not to mention the challenge of getting your characters to the maximum experience level. And for the true die-hard fan, there is a Hard Mode that will test even the most skilled players.

Tales of Phantasia is a brilliantly complete package of excellent story, gameplay, graphics, sound, and replay value. Truly, for its time, there was nothing else that could even come close. Ten years later, long and tedious dungeons can sometimes be a cause for distress, but otherwise the game is still a crowning achievement. Phantasia is without a doubt one of the greatest classic games of all-time, and provides a challenge even to its own descendants in exceeding it.

Progress: Complete