The Gauntlet games, on a whole, tend to have quite a rough track record. On one hand, the games can be incredibly fun and interesting, especially when played with a group of friends, and have proven to be excellent in the arcade. On the other hand, each new game tends to be much too similar to the last game and the experience can get boring and repetitive very quickly. Although Midway must know this, their newest game, “Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows,” repeats many of the mistakes of previous titles and, on the whole, appears to be very uninspired.

The gameplay in Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is exactly the same as all previous iterations. Essentially, players are involved in a less than gripping storyline that has them running around various worlds and killing all the enemies they come into contact with, as would be expected in a hack-and-slash game. Truly though, the storyline is practically non-existent and adds to the game in no measurable amount. Similarly, not only is the concept of the game similar to the previous Gauntlet’s, but the whole design and dynamics are just recycled from previous games.

Players can choose from one of various types of characters, including Warriors and Warlocks, and then set out on their “epic quest.” Each character has a unique hand to hand attack and combo set-up along with the ability to cast certain magical spells. Albeit the fact that the spells can be quite useful and the attacks can be built up to be strong, the game is simply too repetitive and the same attacks from the beginning will be used in the end as well. The game changes in almost no fashion as it progresses, making it an extremely repetitive and boring experience.

The only forgiving factor included in the game is the fact that it has four-player cooperative mode. This mode, when played with friends, can be very enjoyable (although a little hectic) since all four will be attacking and unleashing havoc on the enemy at the same time. Additionally, certain parts of the game can almost only be beaten by multiple players since having help definitely makes the gameplay a whole lot easier. Truly, without this cooperative multiplayer mode, there would be absolutely no reason to play Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows at all.

Even the visuals match the lackluster gameplay. Although Seven Sorrows, thankfully, boasts a new, completely reworked graphics engine, it still doesn’t look like that. The graphics engine, despite offering some snazzy special effects and smooth animations, simply does not look as good as many other modern games. It runs smoothly, of course, but it just doesn’t look all that great.

One good addition, however, is the reworked camera system. Previous Gauntlet titles were plagued by an absolutely horrifying camera that would leave players hopeless since they couldn’t even see the enemy many times. The new camera has its problems at times, however on the whole it tends to follow the characters very well and adapts to the battles in an acceptable fashion.

The audio aspect of the game might as well not have even been included. The effects of swords clanging and magic spells are all the exact same and sound very bad after a very short while. The voice-overs are equally as terrible. Not only were they not done very professionally, but characters can be found repeating the same lines over and over and over again. The musical score is equally as mediocre and unimpressive. Simply put, the game might have been better without audio at all.

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows truly does not do justice to the series. Gauntlet started out to be an amazing and incredibly fun arcade game that translated into a decent console game. However, each new game appears to only get worse due to a lack of any significant additions or improvements, not to mention the fact the problems of previous titles seem to not be worked out by sequels. Maybe Midway should just sell the Gauntlet license already and let another company bring the famed series back to prominence.

When Monster Hunter first came out for PS2, a friend of mine brought it over and I was immediately hooked. While other RPG’s focus way too much on the more mundane details, Monster Hunter delivers plenty of action. You get to hunt and do combat with some fierce animals, and things can get pretty graphic at times. Yep, the original Monster Hunter is a very fun, and very addictive game.

So when I heard they came out with a version for the PSP, I immediately snatched it up, assuming it would be just as good as the original. And it is, for sure.

First off, there are some rather noticeable differences between the two games. For one, some of the action is a bit disappointing in comparison, and while the controls are easy to use, movement is kind of awkward at times. It just isn’t as fluid as the original. The control issue is particularly annoying when trying to hunt, because it has made timing a lot more important in this game, because you have less leisure and leeway with the controls. It makes hunting far more rigid and difficult.

But having said that, there are plenty of advantages to this version of Monster Hunter too. For one, everything just looks better this time around. The graphics are clearer and more defined, and there is more territory to explore in this game. The majority of the landscapes here look very realistic, and more attention has been paid to smaller details overall. Also, your arsenal is a lot more sophisticated, and you have a lot of options to choose from. You also have a lot more potential combos and other tricks you can pull out of your proverbial sleeve as well.

Monster Hunter: Freedom  is overall a lot more challenging than it’s predecessor, and while it definitely has it’s flaws, the extra features and the killer graphics far out weigh the negative aspects, making it even cooler than the original game. This is definitely a must own for PSP fanatics.

If you are a fan of the strategic RPGs (role playing games) you are in luck.  The Japanese favorite, Fire Emblem, has finally come to the United States with its newest edition Fire Emblem:  Path of Radiance. 

The story starts out with the entire land of Tellius at war.  The land is filled with humans and half human/half beasts.  You alone have the ability to end the war.  Lead and command a band of mercenaries that hold their loyalty to you and only you.  Together you fight out epic battles to win victory over the forces of the Daein Kingdom.

Fire Emblem is a strategy based RPG.  You must use various tactics to defeat your enemies over a 3D battlefield.  It is unlike other tactic and strategy games such as Final Fantasy Tactics.  This is because in Fire Emblem, you encounter various people that you must recruit to join your league of mercenaries.  They are not mere grunts.  Each person is unique with their own history, attitude, weapons, skill, and agenda.  The other difference between Fire Emblem and most other games like it is that if one of your characters dies in battle, it is gone for good!  So protect all of your allies at all costs!

Battle takes place over a 3D chessboard-like battlefield.  It is a turn based attack system.  You advance you army across the grid.  Obstructions can get in your path such as:  water, plains, trees, mountains, etc.  You must plan out your strategy and utilize each one of your characters best skills.  Some types of characters are:  knights, winged soldiers, skinshifters, pikemen, and many others.

As you progress and perform attacks, the characters gain experience.  This is used to customize skills and equip them as you please.  There is also a pool of experience that you gain for distributing among party members as you see fit.  This helps out any weaker party members that are not quite ready for battle.

The controls of Fire Emblem are flawless.  It is very easy to maneuver your party members and execute attack commands.  An added benefit is that you can zoom in and out on the battlefield to better assess your attack options. 

One part of the game you may also enjoy is the numerous cut scenes.  The animation of these cut scenes is outstanding.  The voice acting is also great.

Fire Emblem:  Path of Radiance is available on Gamecube.  It is by far one of the best games ever released for this console.  It has an ESRB rating of T for teen.  This is because the game features fantasy violence.  If you have a hard time with it, there is a strategy guide available.

Dungeon Siege 2 from Microsoft has finally arrived. The original was plagued with a few key hindrances, although it was widely considered a very good game. Microsoft made the smart move of attempting to fix all of the problems while expand on the positive aspects of the game, something many forget to do when developing a sequel. These moves helped to make Dungeon Siege 2 a solid RPG.

Dungeon Siege 2 really ended up accomplishing many of the goals that were intended for it. Dungeon Siege 2 is simply one of those games that just gets all of the basics right and has the right amount of unique concept and ideas to set it apart. The original game had the action spot-on and it contained some inspired visuals for its time, but now the sequel improves upon those and fixes the problems a more challenging difficulty level, a longer storyline, and overall it has enough new concepts call it a true sequel.

Similar to the original game, Dungeon Siege 2 is also a fairly easy to grasp RPG. The core of the game mechanics themselves are very similar to the original game. Rather than controlling a single character and then having a couple support characters, Dungeon Siege 2 allows the player to control up to six characters in a party at once, something that isn’t too common for RPG’s.

Upgrading in Dungeon Siege 2 is very unique in the RPG world and offers quite a bit of customization over how the characters develop and improve. Unlike other games, a characters class is mainly determined by what that character does in battle. When leveling up, characters than earn skill points which the player can attribute to a variety of skills. One thing that is important to know is to focus on the important skills, primarily the ones directly affecting your characters class, rather than trying to be proficient in everything (you will only end up with a very weak character).

Fighting in Dungeon Siege 2 is controlled primarily by selecting a character(s) and then right-clicking on the desired target. From there, you can press one of a few simple buttons to have the other characters in the party do certain things, such as all engage in melee against the enemy, or simply let the AI control the other members of the party. While in combat, there are a decent number attacks and a good selection of skills and magic attacks to choose from.

Dungeon Siege 2 uses the same graphical engine as the original Dungeon Siege. While the original game truly did look good when it came out, now the engine is quite dated. Dungeon Siege 2, although improved greatly and carrying some beautiful special effects, definitely shows the signs of this dated engine and, for the most part, isn’t overly impressive. Environments can be somewhat bland, characters a little under detailed, and the animations repetitive and poor in cases.

The sound aspect of the game, however, is quite a different tale altogether. The game has an excellent audio department that really shines in its special effects. The music isn’t awe inspiring by any means, but the clings and clangs all sound perfect and are always right on cue. Just moving throughout the game, fighting the battles, and engaging in ordinary tasks sounds excellent, improving the overall quality of the game.

Dungeon Siege 2 isn’t an epic RPG that will grip fans and produce tons of followers, however it does succeed in delivering an original, fun experience that most RPG fans will enjoy. If you love RPG’s on the PC, then Dungeon Siege 2 should definitely be considered for purchase.

City of Heroes delivered a pretty solid experience. It allowed gamers the rare opportunity to play as comic book heroes in an enticing new MMORPG game. However, it did suffer from repetitive mission concepts and some clunky features. Now, City of Villains has arrived. Although brethren to City of Heroes, it contains many of its own new features and, thankfully, is actually a pretty decent game.

From the launch of City of Heroes, gamers everywhere were wondering why the villains got no lovin’. The game really did felt empty with having thousands and thousands of characters running around and using their superpowers to do what’s right. Well, sometimes gamers just want to do what’s wrong, and that’s exactly what City of Villains intends to address by adding in these darker characters and entirely new environments in which to perfect the character’s villainous abilities in.

In City of Villains, players can customize their made characters by first choosing a basic character type and then from the physical aspects hair to their chests to their arms to their feet, etc., all the way to outfitting their new characters with a wide variety of cool outfits and snazzy accessories. Of course, all of this first begins by selecting the Archetype and there are five selections available: the brute, the stalker, the corrupter, the dominator, and the mastermind. Each comes with their own unique abilities that can be usefully exploited.

Finding a good group to play with is very important to enjoying the City of Villains experience. As with most MMO games, being in a group is extremely beneficial for defeating missions and advancing faster all while sharing the experience with others. The Archetype’s unique and fun abilities, while powerful and engaging, can simply be not enough for tackling certain missions when they are used alone. However, in a group consisting of other Archetype’s and by combining each one’s unique abilities and powers, the group quickly becomes a powerful adversary and beating a mission, whether it be the basic “destroy this” style of mission or a more complicated and difficult boss battle, become much easier and more enjoyable.

While most missions are basic and straight-forward in their nature, later missions do become more rewarding and fun in two ways. Obviously, more experience is at stake and better items and accessories can be found, but also the plots to the missions begin to be longer and involve more intricate twists and turns, better engaging the player into the game and making the victory of completing the mission that much more pleasant and rewarding in the end.

City of Villains offers some pretty basic combat. It rides the middle ground of being engaging enough to keep the game fun and interesting while not trying to overload the player. Luckily, the combat system is designed efficiently enough so that during the recharge of attacks it is easy to preload the next actions to properly suit the situation whether it be summoning a new minion, healing a character, or using a special power.

Thankfully, City of Villains also offers a PvP mode. While it isn’t overly innovative and really could have involved more (i.e. a heroes vs. villains type that would connect the two games), the PvP mode is engaging and should please many gamers. PvP is enabled in pre-determined areas of the game, each carrying its own level limit that characters must be above in order to be allowed to compete in the combat. However, what should be mentioned is that the PvP combat tends to allow to many characters to engage at once. Sure, in concept this could create a frenzied, fun experience, but in reality it makes it so that even high-end computers will find themselves slowing down severely due to the overload caused by so many players.

It isn’t World of Warcraft by any means, but City of Villains looks decent for an MMO game. The engine is the same as that of City of Heroes with only a few minor additions and improvements. This means that character models aren’t overly detailed or flamboyantly pretty, but the environments tend to be very expansive, well laid out, full of alleyways and places to explore, and overall very well designed and constructed. The special effects are sparkly indeed but definitely nothing that will catch a player’s eye for too long. Overall, the graphics hold their own but won’t draw in any gamers based solely on them alone.

It is sad, but most of City of Villains audio comes directly from City of Heroes. Particularly, attacks and villains’ powers all sound the exact same as those from City of Heroes. Indeed, the music also really doesn’t seem to grasp the evilness that should go along with the game and its villain premise. Really, the game could have used a big pick-up and overhaul in the audio department.

If one enjoys the game, there is indeed much reason to replay it.. Sure, veteran players will find the game repetitive, but newcomers who have never played City of Heroes before will find the experience in City of Villains to be a very enjoyable one. There are plenty of missions to be played that offer hours and hours of gameplay time. As with most MMO’s, if a player enjoys it then that player will find a lot of reason to play the game more and more.

While City of Villains isn’t the most original, innovative, or technologically advanced MMO game ever made, it still gets its job done in terms of being a solid, fun game with plenty to offer gamers. It has a lot of features and a unique concept that at the very least should be appealing to those looking to play as a comic book villain.