The Hit List: Video Games Galore

I like to consider myself a Jack of All Trades, a world traveler of sorts who enjoys the many various forms of entertainment, so with some movie, comic, and music reviews already done, I figured it was time to review some video games.

Lego Star Wars II (On All Major Systems) - the original Lego Star Wars was one of those fantastic games that not only thrived on concept, but in execution. The game not only appealed due to its idea, Legos + Star Wars, but it was also a pretty damn fun game! The second is even better, if only for the fact that it's based on the Star Wars movies that didn't suck. This is also one of the funniest games I've played in a while, as I was playing through the levels not only to progress further, but to see the great cutscenes the gamemakers made that reproduced memorable Star Wars scene but with lego and no dialogue.

Dead Rising (XBox 360) - why has it taken so long to make this game? A zombie survival game no doubt inspired by (IMO and many others) the best zombie movie of all-time, Dawn of the Dead. So much so in fact, that there's a disclaimer on the game cover that says that the makers of the game were not affiliated with George A. Romero or the producers of Dawn of the Dead in any way. Ok, so you're this photojournalist stuck in a mall full of zombies for 72 hours. This game is oh, so great, but could've been so much better (sequel anyone?). There is so much you can do in the game, but what really kills is what you CAN'T do in the game. That combined with some really moronic A.I. (you've gotta rescue other survivors), and a really ass-backwards save system stop this game from being a classic. And don't get me started on Survival mode. In said mode, you must survive for as long as you possibly can while your health slowly diminishes and food items DO NOT respawn. Now when I first unlocked this mode, I salivated at playing this because it seemed like the real meat and bones, something I could really sink my teeth into. But sadly, there is one major showstopper to this mode: You CAN'T save. You've gotta keep playing for 12+ hours straight with no breaks. I would've played this mode to death, but I'm not prepared to sit on a couch for an entire day to do it. Besides, if I kept my 360 on that long, it would probably melt. That being said, it's still a very good game, and a sequel that fixed said problems would be unbelievably welcome.

Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2) - let's get this out of the way up front, the first Kingdom Hearts, a perfect marriage of Square's Final Fantasy and Disney's animated characters and worlds, is one of my favorite games of all-time. So it is to my dismay that this sequel is so fantastic in some ways, but drops the ball in one of the biggest departments. First, the good, the art and recreations of the many classic disney worlds is fantastic. The 3d-ifications of the 2d animated worlds is spot-on and looks incredible. Particularly, the Mulan, Tron (TRON!!!!), The Nightmare Before Christmas (I would love a standalone game made in the art style of these levels) and black and white Steamboat Willie inspired worlds standout. Now the bad, the gameplay, the battles are just too simple and easy. Now, while it may seem that you are given many options and types of attacks to perform during battles, you could literally button mash your way through this game. That being said, this is still a worthy game, especially for those who love the classic animated disney films.

Clubhouse Games (Nintendo DS) - this is one of those DS games that you will want to keep and play forever. It's made up of a large (40+) collection of various simple board, card and other games such as billiards and bowling. One of the best pick up and play games, you can play it for 5 minutes, or you can play it for hours. Some of the games, especially the non-board and card games have quirky stylus-based controls that aren't very effective and sometimes very annoying. Despite that, this game is still a winner. Not only can you play these games by yourself, but also with others, both online and offline. One of my favorite features of the Nintendo DS is the ability for people to play multiplayer games off a single cartridge, and this game is no exception, as 8 players with DS systems can play off a single game card. In addition, you can also play online over Nintendo's free Wifi service. In addition +1, this game's new in-game pictochat is really fantastic and makes me wish it was the standard pictochat on every DS. Overall, a very robust package, one I'll keep for a good while.