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Play time
The Met staff choose their favorite video games of 2006
By Joe Nguyen
nguyejos@mscd.edu

Guitar Hero II
Publisher: Red Octane
Platform: PS2
Price: $49.99

In this age of gaming, currently dominated by first-person shooters, sports games and Grand Theft Auto clones, Guitar Hero II is a well-crafted and innovative foray into the oft-overlooked puzzle genre.

Included with the game is a 5-fretted guitar controller, which is strummed to play. The game features 64 songs from artists as varied as Guns N’ Roses, Megadeth and Primus.

Building on its predecessor, Guitar Hero II offers a multiplayer mode, allowing two players to play – one on lead guitar and the other on bass or rhythm guitar to a given track.

The track list is predominantly metal, which means quick fingering passages in between multi-fingered chord changes on the harder levels. Or to take Strong Bad’s advice, “For squeadlies, mash on the trembalo. For meadlies, tone up on your chord supressors. Oh, and I’m awesome.”

However, on the easier difficulty settings, the game can almost be too easy.

To compensate for the added difficulty, the control sensitivity has been tweaked, making hammer-ons and pull-offs much easier to complete.

The game is best enjoyed in a group setting, with players of all different levels of skill and sobriety rocking out and trading riffs.

Owners of the Xbox 360 can look forward to a March 2007 port of the game, complete with 10 extra tracks and the prospect of downloadable songs.
– Matthew Quane • mquane@mscd.edu

Galactic Civilizations 2: The Dread Lords
Platform: PC
Publisher: Stardock
Price: $29.99

Galactic Civilizations 2: The Dread Lords consumed my life for months after its release. Night after night I stayed up until ungodly hours, directing my civilization towards total domination of the known galaxy. Nearly every facet of this game, from the challenging computer opponents to the awesome ship design function, was perfectly tuned. Even better, the developers have continually fixed problems, tweaked rough areas and added new features via free, downloadable updates to keep it fresh. The result is possibly the best space-strategy game ever created, one of the few games I see myself still playing five years from now. The fact it emerged from a tiny, independent publisher almost without fanfare and went on to become a top seller and made plenty of “Game of the Year” lists also makes it the gaming world’s feel-good story of the year.
– Cory Casciato • casciato@mscd.edu

Daxter
Publisher: SCEA
Platform: PSP
Price: $39.99

The real appeal of Daxter goes far beyond its intricate environments, its surprisingly responsive gameplay and its sardonic storyline. This portable incarnation of the well-trod franchise proves that the PSP can offer a game that is just as mature, challenging and graphically rich as its console kin.

The game impressively incorporates innovation and familiarity in its graphics, sound, plot and seamless controls. Daxter has left Jak behind, and the character’s first solo foray into the action genre finds him fighting fantastical creatures, exploring labyrinthine mazes and piloting speedy hover vehicles.

Though the main mission of the game is to rid Haven City of insects, Daxter manages to pack in plenty of auxiliary adventure. This game is much more than merely swatting bugs, as each level presents a unique mission and a new nuance in the gameplay. The game’s diverse approach is especially noteworthy considering the game’s platform, as its depth and fluidity easily trumps most other PSP titles and even rivals many console games.

If Daxter’s triumphs are any indication, 2007 will see a higher quality in Sony’s portable gaming titles. Though its graphics and gameplay will be hard to beat, I look forward to the efforts.
– Adam Goldstein • goldstea@mscd.edu

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Platform: PSP
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Price: $29.99

The formula is simple: Give gamers a free-roaming environment, a dizzying arsenal of weapons, a nostalgia-driven pop soundtrack and let them loose to wreak violent virtual havoc.

This basic recipe has made the Grand Theft Auto series one of modern gaming’s most ubiquitous and most imitated franchises. Despite its more tired and familiar elements, the series continues to crank out engaging and entertaining games for a variety of platforms.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, 2006’s follow-up to Liberty City Stories, manages to maintain the gory appeal of its forebears even as it introduces some entertaining plot twists.

Sure, the action may seem worn to players familiar with the series. Sure, the GTA formula does not allow for great strides in innovation or variation from the established formula. And, sure, many of the missions seem to echo past incarnations. The fact remains that no imitator can match Rockstar’s unique combination of violence and soap-opera histrionics, and the publisher has maintained a degree of quality and integrity with all its titles.

The inherent limitations of the PlayStation Portable tend to adversely affect the trademark gameplay of the franchise. Vice City Stories stands out among its fellow portable titles as one of the year’s most engaging and entertaining additions.

For any gamer content to explore well-worn action and familiar settings, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories provides enough fast cars, dangerous guns and ’80s pop tunes to satisfy until the release of GTA IV later this year.
– Goldstein

Wii Sports
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Publisher: Nintendo
Price: Free with a system purchase

Sure, Wii Sports is overly simple, looks like it could have come out ten years ago and lacks the buzz of the year’s blockbuster titles, but it was one of the best, and most important, games of last year. Up to four players at a time can compete, using customizable, cartooney, Playmobil-like characters called “Miis.” It may not sound like much, but the awesome power of this free game (it comes packed in with the Wii) should not be underestimated. Any video game that can convert a roomful of self-declared video game haters into enthusiasts in the course of a single game of bowling is a great game indeed. Wii Sports is the premier gateway drug of gaming.
– Casciato

Gears of War
Platform: Xbox 360
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Price: $59.99

Gears of War is not only the best-looking game I’ve ever seen, it’s also one of the most intense, visceral shooters I’ve ever played. Sure, the story is weak and the characters are overly macho, generic “space marine” types, but this is the video game equivalent of a blockbuster action movie. From the moment the game places a gun into the player’s hand to the final, grueling fight, Gears never falters. If it gets too hard -– and it gets damn hard – a second player can jump in at any time to help out. When the too-short campaign ends, endless battles against friends and strangers can be found on Microsoft’s Xbox Live online service. What else could hardcore shooter fans ask for? A gun with a chainsaw bayonet, maybe? Oh yeah, it has that too.
– Casciato

Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PS3, PS2, Xbox, PSP, GBA, PC
Prices: $59.99 (360, PS3); $49.99 (Wii, PC); $39.99 (PS2, Xbox, PSP);
$29.99 (GBA)

As a Marvel fanboy, Ultimate Alliance is a fantasy come true.

Based on the X-Men Legends engine, the game allows players to choose up to four heroes to take into battle. And with 24 playable characters, including fan favorites Spider-Man and the Silver Surfer, gamers can create their dream team of heroes.

In all there are more than 140 characters making appearances, making this the largest cast of Marvel creations ever assembled in a video game. Players take their team through levels battling an assortment of super villains, from the mischievous Arcade from Uncanny X-Men to the demonic Mephisto from The Silver Surfer.

The only problem with the game is that it’s too easy on the normal difficulty level. Unfortunately, players have to beat the game on normal in order to unlock hard.

Despite this setback, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is an action-packed game that boasts hours of entertainment. And with the seemingly endless number of heroes in the Marvel universe, there’s bound to be sequel with more characters, especially since this game hints at an eventual showdown with a big super villain.
– Joe Nguyen • nguyejos@mscd.edu