Namco's Tales series of games has its own set of unique trappings in the world of modern RPGs. The most prominent of these is its battle system: a real-time action-oriented brawl that puts menu-based RPGs in their place. Symphonia, however, is landmark among them for two of its own reasons. The first is that ToS is the first Tales game to use a 3D battle screen (which you'll hear more about later). The second is that only about half of the Tales series has been officially released in North America, and an American release of Tales of Symphonia had been promised from the start - and with the runaway success it's enjoyed so far, many are hoping that it's a sign of more to come.

Tales of Symphonia begins with a legend: long ago, there was a great tree of Mana, under which the world prospered. But then a terrible war caused the tree to wither and die. The great legendary hero, Mithos, made a sacrifice so that the world might live again, and the goddess Martel was so struck that she fell into slumber. Since then, it has been the goal of a Chosen one to reawaken Martel and regenerate the world.

This epic prologue is followed by a quaint classroom scene in the little town of Iselia that introduces the world of Sylvarant. The scene introduces the game's key characters: Lloyd, a lazy boy who isn't especially bright; Genis, an accomplished scholar (though still a child); Raine, the professor, as well as Genis's older sister; and Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration. Colette is exceptionally clumsy and, for lack of a better term, blond - yet it is her fate to save the world.

The entire scene paints a fairly goofy picture for the game, bringing the plot crashing down to earth from its previously lofty heights. But then the quest begins. Colette is called to the nearby chapel of Martel to receive an oracle from the heavens, divining her on the path of regeneration. The Desians, an oppressive organization of half-elves who herd humans for unknown tortures, sweep through Iselia and invade the chapel. The invaders are about to kill the Chosen when a mercenary appears, mysteriously skilled and knowledgeable, to help the group.

Colette and the others meet with the oracle, who tells them where the Chosen's quest shall take her first. The group returns to town, and Lloyd starts off for home - but is interrupted by a request from Genis, bringing the two to a nearby Human Ranch (which has a non-aggression treaty with Iselia). They run into some trouble, and before you know it, everyone's upset and Iselia is in flames. Monsters attack. Innocent people get caught in the crossfire. A Desian Grand Cardinal shows up. Lloyd and Genis are banished from Iselia forever. And that's just the first two hours.

From its humble start, Tales of Symphonia exhibits storytelling of the highest caliber. The plot is filled with heroism, deception, conspiracy, and strife; every party member (the playable cast eventually comes to nine characters) has his or her own backstory and unique personality. The writing is complete and interesting, and the pacing keeps players on the edges of their theoretical seats, with new surprises every minute, and two new questions for every answer. The story is told not only in in-game dialogue scenes, but also in "skits" (activated by the Z button at certain moments) - these skits are optional, but round out the characters and story excellently.

Of course, Symphonia's engrossing story is only half the Tale. The general mechanics of dungeon and town scenes are fairly predictable - a semi-fixed camera sees the party walk in 3D space; and traveling on the field is somewhat standard - a movable camera (it should be said that the control here can be slightly awkward) sees the party walk over plains, through forests, and around mountains. Both in the field and in dungeons, enemy encounters are almost wholly avoidable, as they have on-screen manifestations (ala Super Mario RPG, EarthBound, and other similar titles). But through its adaptation of the Tales battle system and several other elements all its own, Tales of Symphonia's combat is something truly never before seen.

The Tales series's Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS) has historically been its claim to fame. Once in a battle screen, both your party and the enemy party appear on the side-scrolling scene. There are no turns: all the action plays out in real time. You control the lead character, which you can change as desired, and the rest of the party is AI controlled (you also have the option of customizing their AI to make them more offensive or defensive, alter their moving behavior, specify what to do in certain situations, and more). You have an enemy targeted, and can change this target as you see fit - you can move toward or away from the target manually, and strike the target using a main action button. You can chain together button-presses and directional input to do multi-hit combos; in fact, the Tales battle system encourages combos and challenges players to see how many hits they can string together.

At any time, you can also bring up a control menu. This pauses the action, and allows you to do more advanced actions. You can order an AI party member to take a certain action (for instance, cast a healing spell), use items, even change equipment and AI configurations mid-battle. These actions aren't instant, though - they become queued up in battle, and add to the real-time brawl. Your own special techniques, magic spells and special moves, can be assigned to hotkey button combinations to use in real-time in the battle. All in all, it's a pretty brilliant system, combining the fast-paced action of a fighting game with the planning and strategy of a menu-based RPG. What's more, you can have additional human players plug in a controller and take control of the other party members manually.

Tales of Symphonia takes the LMBS to the next level. Its system, dubbed ML-LMBS (Multi-Line Linear Motion Battle System), preserves and extends LMBS into the third dimension. Essentially, when you target an enemy, the linear path between you and the enemy becomes the new "Linear Motion" paradigm - everything else plays out the same. In doing so, ML-LMBS also incorporates a number of three-dimensional proximity effects which can be used to your strategic advantage, e.g. doing a sideways sword swipe will damage not only the enemy in front of you, but also the enemy directly next to it. This also makes area-effect spells (like a circle in which party members enjoy gradual healing) both effective and impressive.

Moves themselves enjoy a number of complications. Each character has a different "type" - T for Technical or S for Strike, which determines what techniques the character will learn (based on using ones he already knows). The type can be altered by equipping EX Gems, which also add unique attributes, from increased statistics to a faster running speed. There are Unison Attacks, which string together a technique from each party member in one glorious strike. Each character also has a set of titles, some learned through the story and some through optional sidequests; depending which title is 'equipped', different statistics will increase by different amounts when a character levels up. The level of character customization in Tales of Symphonia is unprecedented.

Outside of the thrilling battle system, Symphonia has every gameplay device you'd expect and more. You can shop for and equip weapons, armor, and accessories, some pieces unique to each character. You can also use old equipment to craft new pieces, using raw materials instead of Gald (the game's currency). There are status effects, like paralysis, poison, and petrification. Consumable items follow predictable paths, though with another staple exception of the Tales series - instead of items which restore certain amounts of HP or TP ("Technical Points") and become obsolete as the game progresses, the Gel items restore percentages of HP or TP. An Apple Gel, for instance, restores 30% of a character's maximum HP, no matter how low or high that HP is. In this way, you don't have to worry about keeping up with the item treadmill, nor do all those items you bought in the last town become useless.

Another Tales gameplay device, put to use in the game's dungeons, is the Sorcerer's Ring. This ring can adopt new functions in new dungeons (depending on the design), and this function is used within the dungeon to open doors and solve puzzles. For instance, the default function of a small fireball can be used to stun enemy parties before encountering them, to burn small logs or drapes, to light torches. An alternate function can turn the fireball into a jolt of electricity, which can be used to activate electric generators. Yet another function lets you place bombs to blow up boulders. It can be used as a flashlight, an earthquake machine, a fan, and more. The ring adds a lot of depth to the dungeons.

Speaking of the dungeons, with the exception of a few towards the very end of the game, Symphonia's dungeons aren't labyrinthine mazes whose main challenge is finding where to go. The dungeons in ToS are short and to the point, using enemies and puzzles, not size, as difficulty. These puzzles are mostly of the block-pushing variety, but are fairly sophisticated for their roots, often involving holes in the floor, elevators, and other complicating obstacles. Symphonia's dungeon puzzles are, for an RPG, surprisingly deep.

There are a lot more gameplay elements to be found in Symphonia, too. Multiple methods of field transit; minigames which test your memory and attention; the Katz exploration team, which can be paid to pick up your slack by finding treasures and landmarks; Grade points, a unique statistic which can be used to purchase exceptionally rare valuables; even a system of cooking, with nearly two-dozen dishes. You can play through Tales of Symphonia all the way to the end, and barely scratch all it has to offer.

The game is a wonder to look at, too. The cel-shaded graphics are some of the best seen anywhere, and every area of the game looks beautiful. Characters are vibrant and full of energy; environments are picturesque and inspiring. There are even a few fully animated cutscenes - the only disappointment is that there aren't more of them. Symphonia also has it down in the audio department, using sound effects that fit perfectly with the actions on-screen, voice overs which are almost entirely well-acted, and a soundtrack that's well-composed and great to listen to. There are only a few tracks which can get on your nerves, but you'll outgrow them before long.

Though Namco claims a play time of 80 hours, it's more realistic to estimate 40-50 for a single play-through; but there's plenty to keep you coming back. Aside from the near-endless character customization, there are also a number of challenging and thrilling sidequests. Tales of Symphonia also uses possibly the greatest implementation of "New Game +" to date - once you're done, you can use the Grade points you've earned in battle to buy upgrades for a new game. Some of these will enhance the game (like experience and item modifiers), and some will actually allow you to carry your previous spoils on to the next game. And, since to get everything you'll need to play through multiple times, you'll probably get quite a use out of the Grade Shop options.

Tales of Symphonia is an incredibly deep game, and a true work of art. The story is well-written, the gameplay is exhilarating, and the extraneous offerings are plenty. Even if you're not interested in the story or character customization, you can skip the skits and leave battle settings on their defaults to just beat stuff up in armed combat. ToS is a classic in its own time.

Progress: Complete

Mario and Donkey Kong. Industry icons from Nintendo's earliest days - the franchise characters that started it all. Though more recently they've set their sights on new horizons, the duo used to be the greatest of enemies. At least, until Donkey Kong became smitten with Mario's new toy.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is partially inspired by the first Game Boy iteration of Donkey Kong (dubbed "Donkey Kong '94" for its year of release), but only in concept. MvDK is a hodge-podge of gameplay devices and innovations that makes it a really bright and fresh experience.

As the story goes (told through series of cinematic still-frames), Mario opens a toy factory to manufacture miniature replicas of himself. While channel surfing, Donkey Kong happens upon a commercial for these Mini-Marios, and simply must have one; but when he goes to the store, they're all sold out. His only alternative is to ransack the toy factory and steal the Mini-Marios. As should be obvious, Mario gives chase. DK leads Mario through six different areas of the world, all the while dropping Mini-Marios in surprisingly puzzle-like stages.

Yeah, MvDK is a puzzle game. It's no Tetris - there are definite platforming elements (Mario gets plenty of chances to show off his jumping prowess, and even handstands) - but each of the game's stages is structured as a puzzle. Each of the six areas (each one itself a different theme: in the factory, a jungle, a haunted house, etc) consists of eight stages. The first six are the bread and butter of MvDK, and contain two screens. On the first screen, Mario must get to a key, and bring it to a locked door. In the second screen, he must get to the Mini-Mario. Of course, it's not all that simple - there are obstacles, switches, conveyor belts, enemies, and all sorts of things to get in the way.

The seventh stage is somewhat reminiscent of Lemmings. The six Mini-Marios you previously rescued will follow Mario as best they can, and the stage's goal is to lead them into a toy box while solving more puzzles and keeping them from dying. You'll want to get as many as possible into the box, as each one you get will give you a health point for the eighth stage, a showdown with Donkey Kong. This battle is different in each area, though in every one you have to hit the monkey four times with whatever the stage provides.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a graphically well-polished game. It's fully 2-D, but every sprite is well-rendered to give the illusion of an extra dimension. Everything looks crisp and clear, and the environments in each area are distinctive and, well, cool. The game's music and sound effects are pretty respectable as well. Surprisingly, the game contains more Mario speech than any other to date, with a number of spoken lines like "Get back here ya' big monkey!" that add to the comic effect of the story.

One of the greatest things about MvDK is its level of replay. The basic game - six areas, eight stages per area (and an additional final battle stage) - is enough on its own to occupy a player for quite a while. Though it's not exactly long, it becomes very challenging, and later stages come to demand a near-perfection of play skill. But that's not all; when you beat the final DK stage, two whole new games open up. The first is similar in structure to the basic game, with six areas, each one following the same theme as before. However, there are seven "Plus" stages, not eight, and the first six Plus stages are a sort of hybrid of 1-7 from last time: you must find Mini-Mario, who's holding a key, and lead him to the locked door (the seventh Plus stage in each level is still a battle with the primate).

The second new game is made up of Expert stages. These are stages all their own, with no grand levels to tie them down, but they must be unlocked with stars from the basic and Plus stages. You get a star in a stage by beating the game's high score, which you can do by beating a stage quickly, getting all the present items, and defeating as many enemies as possible. As getting stars on later levels is a near-Herculean feat, and both the Plus and Expert stages are more difficult than the first game, MvDK offers plenty to keep a player busy.

It's fun, it's challenging, and it lasts. Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a well-crafted and well-delivered production, offering an almost completely new experience that will test your wits in the process. It's a title no puzzle fan should miss.

Progress: Complete

In the summer of 1985, Russian mathematician and programmer Alexei Pajitnov created a puzzle game which would come to be called Tetris. After licensing troubles, sequels, the fall of Soviet Communism, and over ten years, the Tetris name still managed to prove it had more steam in it yet.

Based on a Japanese game called Panel de Pon, Tetris Attack revived the heart and soul of Tetris - a simple but challenging (and fun) puzzle game - and became arguably one of the most addictive games ever made. While Tetris Attack was also ported to Game Boy, and even remade and rebranded as Pokémon Puzzle League for the Nintendo 64, the original Super NES version remains in many ways the greatest.

The premise: rainclouds hover over the lands of Yoshi's friends, making them brainwashed and evil. Yoshi, free from this curse, takes it upon himself to rescue his pals - by defeating them in Tetris Attack. This quest will bring the noble dinosaur to the Cave of Wickedness, fighting Koopa's minions and (depending on difficulty level) King Bowser himself - again, in Tetris Attack. Sound stupid? It is. But it's nothing more than an excuse to play one of gaming's most brilliant creations.

As with the Tetris we all know and love, the ultimate goal of Attack is to keep a stack of tiles from reaching the top of the screen; however, the gameplay similarities end there. Tetris Attack tiles appear from the bottom of the screen, and push your stack upwards. How do you get rid of them? Not by making a straight horizontal line, since that's how they appear, but by matching up tiles of like color. Your control over the tiles is limited to a two-tile-wide reticle, which you can move around the screen as you wish: when you push the A (or B) button, the tiles in either side of the reticle switch places. Using this switching method, you must line up at least three tiles of the same color - then they'll disappear.

You can also pull off combos by matching more than three tiles at once, and chains by having tiles drop into place sequentially (but save that for when you've become familiar with the game); every time you pull off a combo or chain, "garbage" blocks, large blocks with no inherent color, are dropped on your opponent's stack. There's also a special color of tile that always drops a garbage block, but that's all there is to the gameplay mechanics. The genius of Tetris Attack is that as the difficulty levels increase, the tiles move faster, and your enemies become smarter. Higher settings will require all the wits and adrenaline you have to spare. Of course, if this kind of mental strain isn't for you, you can also try Puzzle Mode, which challenges you to eliminate a set of tiles with a rationed number of moves.

Aside from some slowdown in the heat of an intense battle, nothing stands out as wrong with Tetris Attack's graphics. The colors are bright, crisp, and clean - perfect for the game's settings and play. Sound effects also fit the bill quite well. The music is crafted perfectly: most tracks start out with a peaceful melody, but become more urgent and fast-paced as the tiles rise.

Being of the puzzle genre, Tetris Attack has near-infinite replay value simply by virtue of besting yourself. The game offers such a wide range of difficulty levels and skill tests, there's virtually no limit to how good you can get. If you just want to complete stages, between a number of story mode difficulties, dozens of puzzle screens, and some other modes besides, it's hard to run out of things to do. And that's just by yourself (Tetris Attack also has a two-player versus mode).

Attack isn't just a fun puzzle game. It has the capacity to push you to the limit, to the very edge of your sanity - all for the sake of grouping colored tiles. Cocaine? Heroin? LSD? They got nothin' on Tetris Attack.

Progress: Complete

The N64 Rogue Squadron and its Gamecube-debut sequel, Rogue Leader, brought unprecedented professionalism and flair to Star Wars flight simulation. But developer Factor 5 still had a lot of ideas left. After a period of relative silence, they blew the lid open on what promised to be the magnum opus of Star Wars gaming: Rebel Strike.

On-foot missions. Multiplayer. Even better graphics than before. Somehow, they'd managed to improve on the formula in every way. At least, that was the picture they painted. Demos left a few players wary, and when the game came out, the verdict wasn't as one-sided as everyone initially thought it would be.

The story scheme of Rebel Strike is identical to that of Rogue Leader - they don't cover the same missions (the only event they share is the battle on Hoth), but they follow the same pattern of borrowing some from the movies, and fabricating some others to fit in the scheme of things. Rebel Strike splits its "storyline" into two paths: Wedge Antilles' and Luke Skywalker's. They both start at the same point, but from there they go in different directions. While Wedge works supporting the Rebellion in a number of skirmishes, Luke ends up on his own on Dagobah and Tatooine. And between those are Endor missions, which have you controlling a variety of characters to climactically bring down the second Death Star's shield generator.

The flight simulation is the same as last time: good old fashioned TIE-blasting fun. The biggest difference here is that there are more of them. Rebel Strike sports an improved game engine, and they've taken advantage of it with swarms of TIE fighters that would make Admiral Ackbar cry. There are a bunch of new ships this time around, too, including a Jedi Starfighter and the TIE Hunter, and you can pilot some craft you couldn't before (like AT- walkers and speeder bikes). The experiences and skills involved with piloting each of these craft is usually varied enough to keep it interesting. Each mission has a mixture of craft - for instance, in one you'll start out in an AT-ST infiltrating an installation, then you'll get into an AT-AT on rails and whale away on vital targets.

Unfortunately, not all of the new stuff is for the best. A significant portion of the game - not as much as half, but still a good amount - is on-foot. While it does offer a new experience, it isn't very easy to control, nor a very solid engine (even ignoring the uncontrollable camera). You don't aim while on foot, so shooting Stormtroopers is less a matter of skill and more one of moving around while simultaneously mashing the A button. There are some perks (like taking control of an E-Web blaster turret), but for the most part, the on-foot missions just aren't fun.

Graphically, the game looks even better than Rogue Leader - and there are routinely more ships flitting around in a Strike mission than Leader ever had. The sound and music is the same story as last time. These are perhaps epitomized in the game's introduction, which features various on-foot character models on a dance floor with a Death Star disco ball and a Star Wars theme disco remix.

Restoring balance to the Force, Rebel Strike's replay value counteracts the on-foot missions. While the mission campaign is still rather short (though longer than last time), there are still medals to earn, bonus missions to unlock, upgrades to find, and secret ships to uncover. But there's more: multiplayer. Rebel Strike boasts two amazing multiplayer modes, cooperative and versus. Cooperative mode is the entire Rogue Leader game, replicated without fault, made into a two-player adventure. The difficulty has been upped a bit, since you'll have more help with you, but it's otherwise the same as before with the added fun of a friend by your side. Playing co-op is really a blast.

Versus mode is something completely new. You pick a mode and stage, you and your friend each pick a ship, and then you duke it out in a variety of competitions. There are straight-out dogfights, there are speeder bike races, Mechwarrior-like walker battles, enemy melees, even a capture-the-flag derivative. All in all, the multiplayer is what makes Rebel Strike such a vast improvement on Rogue Leader.

Strike brings both good and bad to the table when compared with its predecessor - but more of the former than the latter. Triumphing over Rogue Squadrons I and II, the added replay value of the multiplayer modes (in addition to other unlockables, like the classic versions of the Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back arcade games) should keep you coming back for more this time around.

Progress: Complete

One of the most exciting things about watching a Star Wars movie is imagining yourself in the cockpit, shooting down TIE fighters and saving the galaxy from the evil Empire. Star Wars-themed flight simulators had enjoyed success on the PC platform for quite some time - but it took developer Factor 5 to work this magic on a home console, with Rogue Squadron on N64.

They repeated this flair with an Episode 1-themed sequel, Battle for Naboo, but like the movie it didn't quite measure up. Fortunately, this did nothing but strengthen Factor 5's resolve. A formal sequel to Rogue Squadron, returning to the original trilogy, became one of the Gamecube's best-looking and most eagerly-awaited release titles. And not without reason.

The stories of some of the game's missions are directly lifted from the movies, while others are inspired by their backstories (or just made up completely). The game spans the most exciting parts of the entire trilogy, from the asteroid field and Death Star run of A New Hope, to the battle of Hoth of The Empire Strikes Back, to the battle of Endor and second Death Star of Return of the Jedi. Between these movie milestones lie conflicts like a raid on an Imperial prison, or retrieving the Empire's plans for the second Death Star. While sometimes the story can give the game that good old Star Wars feel, more often than not it's just in the background.

If you've played a Star Wars flight sim before, you'll know there's nothing more exhilirating than shooting down TIE fighters. Or at least, you'll probably think that. Rogue Leader has squadrons of TIEs to spare, to be sure, but there's another challenge for young Rogue Squadron pilots to face: capital ships. Throughout the course of Rogue Leader, you'll have to shoot down three Imperial Star Destroyers (two of them in the Battle of Endor), and unlike some other games which had attempted this before, Rogue Leader doesn't make taking down Star Destroyers an impossible feat. Of course, you'll also be returning to Hoth, tying up AT-AT walkers with tow-cables and shooting up AT-STs and Probe Droids. You'll do bombing runs with a Y-Wing on sensitive Imperial installations. You can even pilot the Millenium Falcon if you play your cards right. More than a nostalgia trip, Rogue Leader is solid space- and atmosphere-fighting fun.

Beyond being a Star Wars game, the reason most people looked forward to Rogue Leader was how astounding it looked. Lighting, shading, attention to detail - the graphics are a great accomplishment, with slowdown only in the most intense of instances. Rumor had it that Lucasfilm asked the graphic artists for Rogue Leader to tone down the effects, because the game looked better than the original films. The game's sound effects and music make it seem like an even more intrinsic part of the Star Wars saga, mostly taken directly from the original movies.

After getting used to the game's challenges, the 10 main missions probably won't last too long. But there are another five bonus missions unlockable with certain numbers of points - points earned by getting Bronze, Silver, or Gold medals in missions (based on your performance, things like accuracy, lives lost, completion time, et cetera). There are also upgrades in the game, always hidden away in a dark corner somewhere - once you get them, all your ships will be more powerful. And there are a handful of unlockable ships too, like Darth Vader's TIE, the Slave I, and the Naboo Starfighter.

Not just a treat for Star Wars fans, Rogue Leader is a joy for anyone who likes flight simulation, or just blowing stuff up. It's a solid title, and while it may not last long, it'll probably give you a few adrenaline rushes along the way.

Progress: Complete

Back in December 2002, Flagship - a development studio of Capcom - remade Nintendo's seminal SNES adventure The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Game Boy Advance. This alone would have been enough to ensure the game's success, but Flagship decided to add in a little experiment it had designed: Four Swords, a multiplayer Zelda.

That Four Swords was more of a bonus feature than an independent game; its story was simple, and there were only four stages to play. But the concept was too good to let go. Nintendo themselves ran with it, and created a full-fledged multiplayer Zelda for the Gamecube, promoting their GBA connectivity concept at the same time. Thus was born Four Swords Adventures.

Four Swords Adventures is, story-wise, sequel to the GBA Four Swords. As the legend goes, long ago, the wind sorcerer Vaati appeared and kidnapped the maidens of Hyrule. A mysterious wanderer used a magic sword to quadruplicate himself, then sealed Vaati away with the blade, in what became known as the Realm of the Four Sword. Ages later (Four Swords), Vaati broke free and kidnapped the princess Zelda. Zelda's childhood friend, Link, took up the Four Sword and came to the rescue, once again binding Vaati within the sword. But this seal, too, would not last forever.

The semi-cinematic introduction of Four Swords Adventures shows Link being called to the castle by Zelda, one dark, stormy night. She and the other six maidens of Hyrule are concerned that Vaati's seal may be weakening, so they mean to strengthen it. But when they begin to go about their work, a strange doppleganger - Shadow Link - leaps through the portal to the Realm of the Four Sword and spirits the maidens of Hyrule (including Zelda) away, before disappearing back into the portal. Link gives chase, but he has no weapon handy, so the only way to attack Shadow Link is to draw the Four Sword from its pedestal. Unfortunately, doing so unleashes Vaati once again; and while Link chases his dark imposter to rescue the maidens, Vaati spreads darkness all throughout Hyrule.

It appears like a fairly rudimentary plot, and for the most part, it is. But as the game develops, you'll find a slightly darker story behind it, hinting at what's to come - FSA posits itself as a direct prequel to Link to the Past. And the game is rife with Zelda-series cameos: Tingle, Malon and Talon, the bug-catching kid, several classic and newer bosses (Arrghus and Moldorm to Jalhalla and the Helmaroc King), even the King of Darkness himself.

There are two gameplay modes in Four Swords Adventures: Hyrulean Adventure (the main game), and Shadow Battle. Shadow Battle is a multiplayer-only battle mode, covered further down in this review, but Hyrulean Adventure can be played with anywhere from 1-4 players. The controller scheme is just like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - if more than one person is playing, every player needs a Game Boy Advance and a GBA-GC link cable (the game comes packaged with one), but if only one person is playing, you can use a standard Gamecube controller. In single-player, the GBA screen is emulated on the television when necessary, but doing this for 2-4 people at once would make the interface far too messy and interfere with the game. The multiple-screen concept is integral to the game: while some Links are in caves or houses on their GBAs, the rest of the group can be outside on the TV screen doing other stuff.

Hyrulean Adventure is, in a dramatic change from the Zelda norm, episodic - there are eight "levels" (areas of Hyrule), and each level has three stages. Again like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, this episodic nature allows players to jump into or out of the game at any time, and any save file can be played with any number of players regardless of how it was played before. While the lengths of stages vary slightly, most of them should take between 20 and 40 minutes each, making the entire game round out to a very respectable length. While some stages are more difficult without friends to help you out, nothing requires you to have more than one player.

Each stage is, aside from its relative linearity (distinct beginnings and ends - again to go along with the episodic nature of the game), extremely reminiscent of Link to the Past. Solve switch puzzles, defeat enemies, push things around. However, there are a few fundamental changes to the LttP formula, namely new moves and the fact that there are four Links. Link has some new techniques, apparently gleaned from Super Smash Bros. - a forward dash-slash, and a downward stab you can do while in midair (either shot from a cannon or while jumping). Yeah, jumping - FSA brings a number of cool Zelda items into the mix, including Roc's Feather, the Fire Rod, the Magic Hammer, and Pegasus Boots, in addition to the ones you'd expect (like a Boomerang, Bow, Slingshot, and Bombs). Again episodically, these items don't stick - each player can only hold one at a time, and they vanish at the end of a stage. The only consistent items are Force Fairies (free lives). This may sound like a hindrance, but the one-item mechanism opens up a whole new world of puzzles, too.

The multiple-Link dynamic is perhaps the game's greatest success. Not only does it enable new kinds of puzzles (pressing multiple switches at once, being in different places at once), but, while it's a deeply complex system, the game makes it as easy as cake. In multiplayer, every player will have a "leader" Link, and extra Links will be split up among them (with two players, for instance, each will get a leader and a follower). There are three types of formation, loose, tight, and individual. In loose formation, the leader acts on the player's controls and the follower(s) just follow(s) behind. In tight formation (which can be made either vertically or horizontally in a line), every Link a player has will move and act with the player's controls simultaneously. Individually, each Link can split apart from the group with the press of a button, and the rest of that player's Links will fall asleep - the individual Link can be controlled separately, and individual control can be switched to any of the other Links on the fly.

With two or three players, though, it's not definite that the Links will be even - extra, non-leader Links, can be stolen from a player when another player picks them up. Then the extra Link will follow in tow of its new leader (well, until someone else takes him, anyway). This embodies the spirit of simultaneous cooperation and competition that makes multiplayer Four Swords Adventures the genius that it is. In single-player, of course, you'll have all four Links under your control, and there are two additional tight formations: Box, a 2x2 Link square, and Cross, which is basically Box on a 45-degree tilt.

Beyond getting through screens by solving puzzles and defeating enemies, the goal of each stage is to gather Force Gems, which restore the Four Sword's power to repel evil. Each player has his own collection of Force Gems, and though the only requirement is that everyone has a collective 2000 Gems by the end of the stage, competition can arise between players with the ability to knock someone down and steal their Gems. Don't worry about not having enough - Force Gems are found in chests, dropped by enemies, even hiding in bushes and grass, and in all but the rarest instances, more than plenty of Gems will be right in front of you.

The stages themselves are both a nostalgia trip and successful examples of level design. There are a number of throwbacks to previous Zeldas, with stages in the Lost Woods, Kakariko Village, a graveyard, Lake Hylia, Hyrule Castle (twice - one of which more resembles the infiltration of Forbidden Fortress in Wind Waker), Gerudo Desert, even the Eastern Temple. While faithfully warming the hearts of Zelda veterans, the stages are at the same time a joy to play regardless.

Four Swords Adventures uses a rather unique visual style. The game itself is 2-D overhead, like the original Zelda games of yore, using the new, more energetic character sprites Flagship created for LttP/FS. But the Gamecube's power isn't wasted; environments are gorgeously detailed, and effects from explosions to fires and everything inbetween are taken straight from The Wind Waker. There are also some occasional side-scrolling sections, which are a gameplay mechanic in and of themselves, but the same basics of the game's graphics stand. If you've seen FSA, you might be worried that the newer-looking effects clash with the old-school graphical style; but it works, and wonderfully at that.

FSA is in a similar situation sound- and music-wise. Some sound effects are taken from Link to the Past, some are taken from newer adventures (like Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker), but they all sound great. Most of the music is slightly-remixed Link to the Past fare, though a select few tracks are entirely original creations. All the game's music is a joy to listen to.

Aside from dynamic player switching, another of the key advantages to FSA's episodic structure is replay value. Any stage of any level can be returned to at any time to play again. You can try to beat your Force Gem score from last time, you can try to earn more Force Fairies, or you can just do it again for the fun of it.

There are also two types of multiplayer minigame: Tingle's Tower, and the Shadow Battle mode. Tingle's Tower appears in the Hyrulean Adventure mode when you're playing with any number of friends. A Tower can be unlocked in each of the adventure's eight levels, and each time you unlock a tower a new minigame comes with it - so there are eight of Tingle's minigames, which range from horse-racing to hammer-tag to trying to defeat as many enemies as possible.

Shadow Battle brings out the worst in Link. Whereas Hyrulean Adventure tries to foster a semi-competitive but still cooperative spirit when playing with friends, Shadow Battle throws all that aside in a battle royale: last Link standing wins. There are ten battle stages (five are unlocked when you beat Hyrulean Adventure), and each one is loaded with hidden traps, including some you can manually trigger to pull the rug out from under your 'pals.' You can hide in caves and houses, you can trick your comrades into killing each other, you can even throw cuccos; one of the cleverer moves is to unleash a cucco, slash it up, then hide in a cave while the hapless Links outside are marauded by cucco rage.

Four Swords Adventures isn't just a multiplayer Link to the Past, nor is it just another Zelda. With such massive combinations of old and new, FSA has more nostalgia than you can shake a Cane of Somaria at, and at the same time is just a really good game. Alone, it's a great Zelda revival with brand new twists; with friends, it's one of the most fun games you'll ever play. It's no epic like Wind Waker, but despite its humble appearances, Four Swords Adventures is one of the Zelda series' greatest triumphs - and that's saying a lot.

Progress: Beat final boss in single-player

Released in the fall of 1998, Metal Gear Solid (a next-gen revival of the classic Metal Gear) represented a true masterpiece of its time. Hideo Kojima's stealth gameplay concepts were new and fun; the story was deep and thrilling; and its themes, from government conspiracy to nuclear tensions, made the game startlingly meaningful.

It was followed three years later with Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and while MGS2 pushed the envelope with even more gameplay innovation and provided a new story, it couldn't (indeed little could) contend with the powerful plot and theme of the original. With that in mind, Silicon Knights remade the first Metal Gear Solid for Gamecube - but took parts of MGS2 with it.

The story (left completely untouched from the Playstation MGS) puts retired FOXHOUND special operative Solid Snake in a secret mission on Shadow Moses island, Alaska. A terrorist organization made up of other FOXHOUND members has taken over the nuclear disposal facility on Shadow Moses, and threatens to make an attack in 24 hours unless their mysterious demands are met. Snake must use his stealth sneaking and combat skills to prevent catastrophe. Full of interesting characters, innovative story elements, and dramatic plot twists, the story of Metal Gear Solid is certainly not second fiddle to the gameplay. It could be said, however, that the game puts too much of the spotlight on the story; a significant portion of Twin Snakes, perhaps more than half (or at least what seems like it), is purely cutscene.

Twin Snakes' gameplay is gleaned more from MGS2 than its predecessor, incorporating advanced stealth tactics and abilities invented to up the ante on the original. The name of the game is stealth, first and foremost, and though Snake can punch, kick, and shoot with the best of them, his best weapon is still silence. The goal is to get through a number of areas (mostly large indoor rooms, but some sections are outside, like a snowy field), and though you could pick a fight with everything in your way, it's usually more beneficial to sneak around it - especially since rations are limited. Utilize a number of items and techniques, from tranquilizer shots and camera-disabling grenades to crawling along the ground or hugging the wall; and, since the enemy AI (which can be remarkably intelligent in higher difficulties) will respond to seeing fallen comrades, you can even stow bodies in secluded rooms or lockers. There are really a bevy of stealth concepts, and using them all to your benefit is the heart of the MGS challenge.

Graphically, Twin Snakes is - for the most part - pretty gorgeous. Facial and clothing details, falling snow, even explosions all look good. The cutscenes are directed wonderfully, if a bit larger than life at times (in addition to being fairly long), and the in-game graphics are just about flawless. The game's soundtrack isn't too prevalent; the only thing it's really good for is staying out of the way - forgettable tunes don't distract you from your sneaking. Sound effects sound good, and most of the voice-overs are excellent (though Snake's consistently husky voice could get on your nerves).

In the replay department, Twin Snakes has three distinct offerings: collectibles, difficulties, and miscellany. Various enemies in the game have dog tags you can collect, and there are certain places in which you can take a picture, and a ghost image of an MGS developer will appear; these collectibles have no reward but accomplishment. Twin Snakes has a variety of difficulty settings which can become quite challenging - one option, for instance, gives you a game over as soon as Snake is detected. Other things include two endings (depending on a choice you make mid-game) and unlockables for completing the game a certain number of times.

Though it has solid (pardon the pun) gameplay and an intriguing and well-written story, MGS:TS is not without flaws - some writing errors remain in the script, some parts of the game just seem awkward ("wacky game" moods conflict with "serious drama" themes), and, not to overstress the point, but the cutscenes are far too long and too frequent. In the end, if you've already enjoyed Metal Gear Solid, MGS:TS is little more than a novelty; but if you're a devoted Metal Gear fan, or if you've never played MGS, Twin Snakes is definitely a worthy play.

Progress: Complete

Tactical RPG games combine strategic unit movement and timing with RPG attacking and magic use. It's a less recognized genre of games, to be sure, but certainly not one worth ignoring to any RPG fan. Along with changeable job classes ala Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy Tactics brings the Final Fantasy mythos and TRPGs together in glorious harmony.

Final Fantasy Tactics was published on the coat-tails of Final Fantasy VII - and while it may not have enjoyed as much publicity, it did receive a story and gameplay experience of magnificent quality as well. There still isn't much that can match FFT's execution of the TRPG.

The story of Final Fantasy Tactics takes on two aspects. The beginnings of the game's story are rooted in the power struggle of peasants and nobles. It raises many questions about class philosophy, and what is 'right' and 'just'. However, over time, the plot evolves into a story of life-threatening evil. It seems a little awkward at some points, but overall, it manages to work. Most characters' personalities are profusely detailed, each one clear in his or her ideals, and each one having distinguishable characteristics.

Tactical RPG staples of two-dimensional movement (along with the third dimension of height) and turn-based combat centered around a character's speed add new depths of strategy to classic swords-and-sorcery Final Fantasy gameplay. As with all TRPGs, battles can be long, but if you keep playing, you'll either get faster or get used to it. Every successful blow earns a character experience points for leveling up, and job points for learning new techniques in his/her job class. While not fighting, you'll be able to change a character's class and abilities (two offensive skill sets, one passive support skill, one reaction skill, and one movement skill). Once you get the hang of the job system and the game's 20 different classes, its strategic depth is almost limitless.

FFT's graphics aren't the best, but aren't half bad either. The level patterns are somewhat unclean, while the characters are nicely detailed, and the spell effects are a sight to see. Sound effects are fitting, as are the soundtrack's variety and excitement.

A first time through Final Fantasy Tactics will probably take between 20 and 30 hours. From furthering the story, to gaining levels and becoming more powerful (and learning entirely new and different abilities), FFT is one of those games that rewards a player for more time put into the game. There are also a few sidequests for more powerful items, for interesting and unique party members, or just for the sake of accomplishment.

Tactical RPG fans can't help but love FFT. Fans of Final Fantasy will enjoy seeing their favorite characters and spells in a new light (if a bit turned off by the complexity of the game). Combining classic role playing elements with a thinking man's game was a brilliant idea, and it was executed very well. If you don't mind the depth and breadth of Final Fantasy Tactics, give it a play.

Progress: Complete

Though some think life began with Final Fantasy VII, much of its genius was taken from (or is eclipsed by) its predecessor. Final Fantasy VI is highly regarded among those who've played it as the pinnacle of the Final Fantasy series, and one of the greatest RPGs ever made.

FFVI (as it was known on Super Famicom, but was released as Final Fantasy III on the American Super NES, then eventually title-corrected in 1999 as part of Final Fantasy Anthology) represents not only a glorious fusion of story and gameplay, but the quirky innovation that many Final Fantasies have come to be known for. FFVI has done things that modern RPGs still have yet to replicate.

Once, there was great magic, and the world prospered under its power; but there came magic wars, and the world was sundered, and nearly destroyed. Ages later, technology was rebuilt, and people lived well once more - but magic was a lost art. The megalomaniacal Empire, under the rule of the Emperor Gestahl and the command of Kefka, seeks to unlock this ancient power, and what begins as an attempt to overthrow the empire turns into a quest to save the world. FFVI has some of the greatest storytelling ever seen: almost every character has an interesting background, and their personalities shine throughout the game's epic twists and turns.

Each of the game's 14 potential party members has an entirely unique way of fighting, and they're all interesting twists on the battle mechanics themselves. This variety is further enhanced by what is still one of the most fleshed-out equipment systems in RPGs today, with not only weapons and pieces of armor, but special accessories that actually do something. Magical entities, Espers (which also play a role in the game's story), can be joined to characters to allow them to learn magic spells and enhance their abilities and statistics. Espers also serve as the game's summons. FFVI's gameplay is a greatly creative elaboration on the classic 2D Final Fantasy too great to summarize.

Despite age, the graphics are nothing to scoff at, especially considering how many things the game sometimes has moving around on-screen. Sound effects blend with the rest of the game fluidly. The music is superb, possibly the best of any Final Fantasy, with a widely diverse soundtrack for all sorts of occasions and situations.

FFVI's basic game length is easily a few dozen hours. Add to that tons of sidequests (a couple of those 14 party members are entirely optional), some minigames (like a combat colosseum), and more collectibles than you can shake a stick at (a number of the characters have blue mage-style techniques to learn), and the complete package is over 100 hours, no problem.

With a rich storyline, enjoyable and unique gameplay, and plenty of content, Final Fantasy VI is a fantastic game. It's a requisite item for any RPG fan's resume. Play it.

Progress: Complete

GoldenEye 007 was launched early in the life of the Nintendo 64. It was remarkable - an excellent first-person shooter game, and a great multiplayer game (still one of the best), on a console. In many ways, GoldenEye paved the way for console FPS games to come, especially Rare's second N64 shooter, Perfect Dark.

GoldenEye's success was due primarily to its faithful transition of the spirit of Bond. Relying partially on the player's stealth sneaking, and partially on his license to kill, GoldenEye is the definitive James Bond.

The story of GoldenEye 007 (the movie and the game) begins with a mission nine years ago, in which James Bond (007) and his partner Alec Trevelyan (006) infiltrate a Russian facility to destroy containers of noxious nerve gas. However, the duo is caught in the act by the Russian military; while Bond escapes, Trevelyan is left behind and shot in the head by general Arkady Ouromov. Nine years later, Ouromov comes up again in an odd story involving an organization called Janus, a Siberian satellite control station, and the GoldenEye, a satellite which can fire an electromagnetic pulse great enough to disable all electronics in an entire city. Bond's video game mission to save the world features, builds on, and diverges from the movie in various instances.

Typical first person shooters, even today, focus heavily on simply blasting your opponents to smithereens. James Bond, on the other hand, prefers subtlety; and this was factored into GoldenEye. The main focus of the missions isn't to shoot everything that moves, but to take it slow, plan your route, and snipe your victims covertly, so as not to attract enemy attention to yourself. Of course, in some situations, you'll still have to shoot like a madman, but these aren't exceptionally common. GoldenEye has a wide array of weapons to offer - handguns, machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, knives, and tons of Q's useful gadgets. But, true to the genre, even GoldenEye's story mode is overshadowed by its multiplayer. Up to four people at once can play, with dozens of different weapons (sorted into several sets), and in several different arenas. Selectable character models for multiplayer are based on James Bond characters, and while some of them are from the game's one-player missions (like James Bond, Alec Trevelyan, and generic soldiers), some were made just for multiplayer (like Oddjob and Jaws).

GoldenEye's graphics, being from the early days of the N64, are significantly less than impressive. They're coherent, though, and you'll always be able to tell when someone's shooting at you (and usually, where they're shooting from) by the graphical bullet effects. Sound effects fit the game perfectly, and the music is catchy, from a remixed 007 tune to several ambient themes.

GoldenEye is definitely not a game you play once and put down, and it's not just because of the great multiplayer gameplay. There are a total of 20 single player missions (18 in the main story and two more bonus missions), and three difficulty modes: Agent (easy), Secret Agent (more challenging), and 00 Agent (much more difficult). By completing certain levels within certain times in a specific difficulty, you'll unlock cheats, which can be used in single player for fun (not for completing missions), or in multiplayer for added effect. One particularly interesting cheat is DK mode, which makes all the characters look like Donkey Kong - small bodies, and enormous heads.

One of the greatest FPS games ever made, possibly the greatest on any console, GoldenEye is legendary for a reason. It may not have the complexity or feature sets of today's shooters, but it's still good, old-fashioned shooting fun.

Progress: Complete