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What alien/government conspiracy would be complete without David Duchovny being involved somehow? Area 51 is a first person shooter that brings to life many of the popular conspiracies all while the player shoots the living out of mutated humanoid aliens, one of whom is Marilyn Manson.
Area 51 PS2, Xbox, PC
You may have deja vu when playing this game as it is very much similar to Halo 2. You can dual wield weapons, throw grenades, and introduce your enemies in a burr of your gun. it's really not a bad thing, though, because Halo 2 is pretty badass.
Area 51 employs an interesting gameplay twist that has the character infected by a virus that changes him into a strong, fast, alien killing machine. You can't use weapons while in this form, but it has some unique powers. Mutagen can be thrown at enemies, slowly draining their health. Powerful claws and super speed allow the player to quickly dispatch the opposition. The weapons are pretty stan-
dard, but there are some interesting ones that use alien technology. One shoots balls of bouncing energy and another reminds me of the BFG from *Quake II* that shoots a large ball of energy with beams coming out of it seeking targets.
Grade: Breal feeling. You can hear the intensity in each fight.
All in all the game is fairly fun but limited in scope. Multiplayer consists solely of a death match and is not all that fun. And any game with Marilyn Manson as an alien is worth checking out in my book.
—Nick Finnegan
Star Wars Episode 3:
Revenge of the Sith
PS2, Xbox
May 19th... hope I'm in a movie theater that day kicking back, eating popcorn and watching one of the greatest movie sagas come to a close. As the ad in *Electronic Gaming Monthly* says, "Before you see the intense sazer-sizing droid-frying, force-bending, action of the movie, make some of your own." And that's exactly what I did. When I started playing this game, I never wanted to put the controller down. The action is intense and in *Star Wars fashion*, the story is epic.
The voice acting is great in the game. The actors from The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network lend their voices to the game, so they are familiar with how to portray each character. Hearing Anakin speak during his battles adds more to the feeling that he believes he is stronger than anyone he faces. It gives it a more
The style of gameplay took me a little by surprise. At first, I thought you picked one of the Jedi and played his story of the story. However, this game is composed of 16 missions with you controlling Anakin or Obi-Wan, taking turns doing their part in the movie. You have no control over which Jedi you get to be. This game is strictly combat. If you see an enemy in front of you, you'd best dispatch them before they dispatch you. As you complete each level, you gain experience. You then use the experience to strengthen your Jedi. You can use it to increase your fighting power or your ability to use the Force. With each level gained, you can acquire new combs and Force powers to use.
The saber dueling is intense. The game, like each prequel, has fast-paced lightsaber action. Fighters against other Jedi, it's almost impossible to know where they're going to strike next because they twirl their lightsaber so fast. You're better off blocking and hoping that you'll find an opening.
The game also supports a multiplayer function. There is cooperative mode where you and a friend can play with each other, as well as dueling mode, where you can face a friend and find out who is better with the lightsaber. The game also has extras such as conceptual art and scenes from the movie.
Revenge of the Sith is another great Star Wars game. I was brought back to my Jedi Power Battle days, but this one is way more intense and has better graphics and gameplay to boot. I'm not really shy of a few spoilers, so I had no problem playing this game before seeing the movie.
Chris Moore
Grade: A
Psychonauts Xbox, PS2, PC
It's challenging, and the free-learning environment allows players to roam about freely experimenting with their character's psychic powers. I spent half my time chasing squirrels around trying to light them on fire and the developers anticipated my twisted desire to roast small animals alive. Roasting the little furry creatures is the easiest way to find food and regain health.
At first glance Psychonauts appears to be a game for kids. The world is colorful, and the characters are doing child-like things such as playing tag. The story takes place at summer camp, which led me to think I had stumbled into a kids game, but the "Teen" rating holds true. This game isn't a kids' game.
The gameplay is challenging and the regular addition of new psychic powers to your arsenal keeps you from getting bored. The level design is insanely creative; one level is a cube floating in space, and if you run to the edge of the cube and off you land on another side of the cube, the strange-but-creative touch is what Psycho has going for it. If at first glance you think there'd be dark platformer you are sadly mistaken. This game is more than standard. Everything feels polished, the script is hilarious, the combat is fluid and the graphics are the most unique I've seen in years.
The game takes place at a summer camp where children learn to use their psychic powers to fight evil. Your character - Raz - has run away from his family at circumcision to learn how to become a Psychic teacher. In the camp, strange things start to happen in his friends and Raz works hard to develop his psychic powers to help his friends.
Grade: A
—Dan Hoyt
All images courtesy www.ign.com
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