PlasmaBeam44

A game about Strong Bad seems like a great idea. The characters are quirky and offbeat and would fit well into a video game. TellTale games realized this and finally made a "Point and Click" adventure game based off the web cartoon.

The game opens with Strong Bad reading an e-mail asking him why he doesn't just pummel HomeStar and get it over with. He then travels down to the race track to beat up HomeStar and learns that a race is being held. You play from there interacting with all the characters from the HomeStar universe.

There is a lot to do SBCG4AP. You can make it through the main plot in about 2 to 3 hours if you just plow through it but in doing so you'd miss out on a lot extras. You'll get e-mails from time to time on Strong Bad's Laptop and he'll answer them. But before you can answer them you'll have to go out and do some research by talking to the various characters and getting information. You can make your own Teen Girl Squad comics, play Snake Puncher V, and find various articles of clothing to wear to take pictures of yourself and e-mail them to friends.

If your a fan of the HomeStar Runner web cartoons and like point and click adventure games them you'll have a lot of fun with this. If you've never watched the web cartoons then you probably should to see if the humor is funny to you before you buy the game.

A lot of the time when a major console game makes the transition to a handheld it often turns out as a completely different game or it takes place as a side story or a spin-off. This is apparent with games such as Vice City Stories and the Metal Gear Acid games. But this isn't the case with Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters. In fact it's almost the exact same as the console versions. It's a direct sequel to Deadlocked and picks the story up from there. Ratchet and Clank are on vacation and a little girl comes up to them wanting to take pictures of them doing "heroic" stuff. She gets kidnapped and they have to go save her. The story has many twists and turns but ultimately is pretty forgettable.

The PSP is notorious for not have a second analog stick and because of this Size Matters controls feel a little sloppy. The camera is one problem. It has two different options, with one you use both shoulder buttons to move the camera to the left and right. This one feels the best and is the one that I recommend you use while playing. The other option makes the camera stick behind Ratchet at all times and when you move, the camera moves with you. It works for the most part but in the end it's more annoying than helpful. You strafe in the game by pressing left and right on the d-pad. This actually works very well and you'll have to circle strafe some bosses to beat them as it's almost the only way too, so the d-pad will quickly become your best friend in fights.

The game plays pretty much the exact same as the PS2 versions. You travel through extremely linear levels on a couple of different planets blowing things up on your way to the end. Helping your blow up these things up are your trusty guns. There are a little over a dozen in the game and the more you use them the more experience they gain leading to them leveling up. All the guns are fun to use and helpful in eliminating the bad guys, but there is one gun in particular that is like a shotgun and it misses almost every time you shoot it making it pretty much worthless. There are boxes strewn about the levels and breaking them will give you bolts. Bolts is the games currency and you use them to buy new guns and gun mods. You also gain armor in the game. There are different types that you can equip and customize your appearance. Equipping certain parts will give you attack boosts such as making your wrench catch on fire that takes down double damage or if your throw your wrench you'll leave a trail of acid that will hurt enemies that walk across it. But you'll mainly only use the armor as a defensive upgrade and rely more on your guns for attacking.

Size Matters isn't a particularly long game. It's around the 5 to 8 hour mark. However, once you beat the game you can go through it again on "challenge" mode that gives you bolt multipliers to get you more bolts and there is a new set of armor available for you to find. There are also races to partake in and Twisted Metal style Clank mini games to play. You can also play multiplayer matches to up to 4 people online and off. But the multiplayer is pretty uninteresting and you probably won't play it that much.

Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters is a great PSP game. It's got everything you love about the PS2 games but it's in the palm of your hand. If your a fan of Ratchet and Clank you should defiantly pick it up although the $40 price tag is asking a little to much for a such a short game. But regardless of all that this game is worth your time.

Bully is one of the most entertaining games ever made. Why this is is fairly apparent. It's a Rockstar game that plays like GTA and who better than to rip off GTA than Rockstar themselves? But that's not what Bully is all about. Sure, it's another open world game and that's been done a million times before but that's beside the point. Bully offers an experiance that many other games strive for but fail to accomplish. It offers an engaging story that will keep you playing just to see what will happen next and who in the wonderful cast of characters you'll be able to trade punches with. It also offers up the tried and true gameplay that has made Rockstar one of the most beloved and recognizable game developers out there.

You play as a 15 year old boy named Jimmy Hopkins. He's been expelled from multiple schools and his mother has been remarried more than five times. It's apparent Jimmy has had a rough life and he copes with it by beating people up and acting like a real delinquent. His mother has gotten married yet again and she and her new husband dump Jimmy off at a boarding school know has Bullworth Academy forgetting he even exists in the process.

Bully is a misleading name. You don't play as a bully (although you can if you so choose) but rather you go out of your way to stop all the bullying at Bullworth. Within the first few minutes of the game you see what kind of a school Bullworth really is and Jimmy wants to clean it up. Along the way you'll meet an amazing cast of characters that feel real and alive within the game. You'll meet Algernon, the nerd who frequently wets himself; Gary, the boy you come to trust but soon realize is a maniac only out for himself; and many others who all of which are perfectly voiced by a talented cast of actors.

Your in an open world were you can do pretty much anything you feel like doing. Want to beat up a teacher? Well go right ahead. How about skipping class? You have the choice to do so. But keep in mind that doing such things does come at a price. School prefects will chase you down and if you don't get away or find a place to hide then there will be trouble. The first couple of times your caught you'll just get a slap on the hand, but if you continue to misbehave then it's off to detention with you.

During your term at Bullworth you can attend classes. Scholarship Edition adds new classes that were not found in the original game. Those are Math, Geography, Biology, and Music class. All of the original classes from the initial release also make a return in the form of Art, Gym, Shop, English, Chemistry, and Photography. Classes play out like minigames and are generally fun. In Chemistry you'll be doing button presses as they scroll across the screen to mix chemicals akin to San Andreas's dancing minigames, English class will have you making word out of jumbled letters, and so on. You'll want to attend classes not only because they are fun, but because they reward you with new moves, and skills that are essential to game progression.

There are also eight new missions added to Scholarship Edition. None of them are terribly exciting but if you've played the game on the PS2 then they'll stick out as something new. Most of them take place during Christmas time and as such have a Christmas theme to them. You'll help a bum who thinks honest to God thinks he Santa teach some punk kids a lesson and you'll also help him take out the rival Santa so kids will come to him for their Christmas photos.

Bully takes place over 5 distinct chapters. Each has it's own feel and theme. In chapter one you'll work your way up to the leader of the bullies and take him out making all of the bullies respect you. The same happens in chapter two through four with you taking out the leaders of each clique. The story in the game is a bit predictable but not in a particularly bad way. It's all satisfying and extremely exciting.

Bully has gotten a bit of an upgrade graphically since it's outing on the PS2. The lighting has been improved and doesn't make the game look so dark. Character models have also been somewhat improved. But even with the improvements Bully still looks like a last gen game. It also suffers from frequent crashes and a lot of framerate issues. So take this into consideration if you plan on buying the 360 version. A patch has been released and with it installed I only encountered a game crash once and it was halfway through the game.

All in all Bully is an amazing experience that you shouldn't miss. It was a classic in 2006 and it's still a classic now.

Mortal Kombat has been around for a long time. It's a cultural icon and was responsible for the creation of the ESRB. This is because the game is full of gore and people love games with lots of gore. Not to mention the Fatalities are some of the coolest deaths in any game. But Mortal Kombat Armageddon doesn't have the coolness factor that the previous games have.

The first thing that makes this game fail is it's controls. Specifically the Wiimote and Nunchuk attachment. To do your special moves you must hold down the B button and move the Wiimote to the left, right, up, down, or do half circle movement to do the attacks. This might sound easy but getting them to work is a chore. They don't register well and you'll do the movement over and over again just to get it to work once. So instead of wasting time trying to do a special move you can punch and kick. These are mapped to the D-pad on the Wiimote. This is very awkward to do and it's not ideal.

But never fear because the Classic Controller and the GameCube controller are both supported. But using either one completely defeats the purpose of playing this game on the Wii. It just becomes the PS2 and Xbox versions of the game minus online play and it looks worse than either of those version too.

The games combat system is just flat out pathetic. You've got your simple stock standard punches and kicks, then you've got your grapple moves and special moves. You can't string different combos together either. So it's just basic button mashing mixed in with some special moves making the fighting extremely unsatisfying.

There are over 60 characters in the game. You start out with all of them with only 4 available to unlock. All the character play the same with the exception of a select few. Every single character that has ever been in a Mortal Kombat game is playable.

What the Wii version has that the other versions don't (other than the Wii controls) is an Endurance mode. This mode has been in just about every single fighting game known to man and MK has just got around to putting it in there games it seems. This mode is exactly how you would expect it to be. You fight until your die.

Other than your basic Arcade modes and versus modes there is a mode called Konquest. In this mode you take control of an incredibly generic character by the name of Taven. This mode plays like a really bad flash game that you would play on the internet. The combat is bland and the story is at best forgettable.There is also another Kart racer called Motor Kombat. It's a small distraction and isn't anything special.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon is a average game at best. It's nothing revolutionary and there are defiantly better fighting games out there with better controls, deeper fighting systems, and better differentiation between the characters. To put it simply, this game isn't what you think it is and it's worth a rental if you feel the need to play.

The Warriors is a brawler based on a film of the same name. In the movie a man by the name of Cyrus held a meeting with all the gangs in New York. He wanted all of the gangs to join together to create one gang that could take over the city. He says "Can you dig it!" a couple of times to the crowd and a shady character with a mullet shoots and kills him. The shooter quickly blames the Warriors resulting in them having to sneak, fight, and run they're way back to their hideout.

The game shows this opening cutscene showing you what happens at the begging of the movie but then it quickly jumps back to about a little over a month before the huge meeting and tells of how the Warriors went from no name to big time. The game starts you off as a new recruit in gang called Rembrandt. You take control of him and have to fight to prove your fit for the gang. This acts as the games tutorial teaching you the ways of the fist. But you won't just play as him. Throughout the game you'll play end up playing as all of the Warriors in various missions, but they all really just play the same. For a game based so much on beating everyone to a pulp the combo system is very simple. But maybe that's a good thing. When you fight your really just rely on whatever combos you feel comfortable using. But it's good to know that while the fighting system is simple, it never gets repetitive or tedious. The game does a good job of making you feel like your a powerhouse and can take on anyone. Every punch or kick you land makes a devastating blow and the screen tends to shake just a tad. This adds a sense of realism to the fights. Missions in the game do repeat. Every mission your either sneaking through to a location, having to steal things, or beating up everyone. You won't really notice this, nor will you care, because the game is just so much fun and the story will keep you wanting to trek forward and see what happens next.Speaking of the story this game has one of the best stories in any game. This is all thanks to the perfect voice acting and deep character development.

The Warriors isn't a terribly long game. It will take you 10 to 12 hours to make it through the main game. But as you progress you unlock flashback missions that tell of how the Warriors gang got started and where it got all it's members. There are around 5 or so of these missions and they add even more back story and character development. They also last upwards of 30 minutes to an hour a piece to they add even more length to the game. The game also has a Rumble Mode were you create your own gang from members of others and take them to the streets to fight other gangs. This mode is fun and you'll probably come back to it a few times just to beat some people up. There is also a Double Dragons style side scroller that is pretty fun to play but really won't keep you coming back to play.

Graphically The Warriors looks ugly. Textures are washed out and the characters hair uses some of the lowest polygon count seen in a game. But all this adds to the dark and gritty atmosphere the game is going for and it nails it. This is one of the most atmospheric games ever made. But with all this praise there are some faults. The loading times are pretty long and it's a pain that the game has to load every time you die or mess up a mission. There are a few really frustrating parts in the game that will keep you dying and it's a pain that it's got the load the whole level over again every time you fail. Also, while the sound is great sometimes it will cut out or not even play at all. It doesn't help that the camera moves quickly and frequently during the course of the game and the PSP screen tends to smear things when it does this. It doesn't happen too often but it happens enough to where you'll notice it. The games combo system isn't really specular either.

But all in all The Warriors is a great beat em' up with a great story and any PSP owner should add to there collection. If you never got the chance to play this on the consoles then the PSP version is well worth your time.

The Sam and Max games have been a lot of fun so far. What has made them so much fun is the voice acting and of coarse the gameplay. Every episode has you starting out at Sam and Max's office. This episode does something a little different and let's you start out at the White House. But you'll spend about 5 minutes there are go back to your office and do the regular stuff that you've come to expect from the games.

This episode suffers a lot from the constant backtracking. You'll be in one area, get an item and have to go all the back to some other place to use it. This happens far too often in this episode and it makes it the worst one in the season.

The game is over in 4 or 5 hours. It ends with a semi cliffhanger like the other episodes that will get you interested in the next episode. If you liked the other games you'll like this one if not this one will not change your mind.

Episode 3 plays exactly the same as the ones before it. It's shorter but just as much fun. This installment has the best jokes, items, puzzles, and characters. You get to recover a 50 year old meatball sub, fake a death, cheat at a card game to win money, play the slots, and hypnotize a giant mole. The game is over even more quickly than episode 2 but that doesn't matter. You'll have fun from start to finish. The game is over in 2 or 3 hours depending on if you get stuck or not. If you liked the other games then this one will make you happy. If not then your mind won't be changed.

In Sam and Max Episode 2: Situation: Comedy Sam and Max have to investigate a crazy talk show host who has taken her audience hostage. The game plays exactly the same as the previous episode so other than the new setting, story, and some new characters nothing has changed. You point and click your way through the areas picking up items or examining them. You solve puzzles with these items. If you've ever played an adventure game on PC then you know what to expect. The dialog is funny and the voice acting is great.

Episode 2 is shorter than the previous episode. You can get through the game in about 2 or 3 hours if the puzzles don't get your stuck for long. If you enjoyed episode one then episode 2 is worth a play through. If you didn't then this version won't change your mind.

Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock is the first episode of 6 that takes PC gaming back to it's roots. This is a simple point and click adventure game that plays just like they used too back in the early 90's and even before that. There's no health bar or boss fights like most games of today. You solve puzzles by talking to people and getting clues or using items to get the job done. It's a great and rewarding gameplay experience that, while short, does what it sets out to do and ends up being a memorable experience.

In Sam & Max you play as Sam. He's a humanoid dog creature that just happens to be a freelance police officer who takes on cases for the money. With his on his adventures is his humanoid rabbit sidekick who offers up some really strange dialog. The game opens up with your phone ringing and it turns out the office rat has stolen it and he demands some swiss cheese for the phone. You don't have swiss cheese but you do have a closet full of regular cheese and gun. Well you get the picture. This is how the game plays. You get items and you use those items to get through the story.

There is also a lot of talking in this game. Everyone you see you can talk to and you pick from a list of things to say to them. You'll have to do this to get more information out of people that give you clues as to what you need to do next. Thankfully the game sounds wonderful with a great soundtrack and some suburb voice talent.

Length wise the game is pretty short. The bulk of the game is talking to people and solving the puzzles. If you know what to do and skip all the dialog you can get through the game in about 30 minutes to an hour. But you won't know exactly what to do your first time through and you'll need to talk to people since that's were all the fun is. So your first time through will take you 4 to 5 hours. But thankfully this is episodic. So once your done with this game you can move on the next and continue the story.

It's a great adventure game that anyone should check out.

In 1987 a lone bounty hunter named ,Samus Aran, went to the planet Zebes to destroy Mother Brain and eliminate the Metroids on that planet. She succeeded (or so she thought) and the galaxy was safe once more. In 1992 Samus dawned her power suit for a second time to take out the queen Metroid and take them all out once and for all. After it was over the last of the Metroids hatched from an egg and mistook Samus for it's mother. Instead of killing it she took it with her. This is where Super Metroid picks up. Samus turns the last Metroid over to scientists on a space station for research. After Samus leaves she gets a distress signal from the station and goes to investigate. When she arrives everyone is dead and the Metroid is missing. Samus goes to the end of the ship to find that her old enemy Ridley is back and is attempting to take the final Metroid. Samus fights but Ridley makes his escape. The space station explodes and Samus follows Ridley back down to where it all started, Zebes.

Once every game system you get a game so great that it becomes immortal. This is what Super Metroid has become. It withstands the test of time and gives you a game that just keeps on giving and leaves your wanting more. The basic premise to Super Metroid is exploration. Your thrown into a world that your familiar with but has changed. You wonder around the map searching for new power ups for Samus that will allow you to reach new areas. You do this for the entire games going from areas flooded with plant life to places flooded with water, all the while gaining new abilities such as the space jump and screw attack. Super Metroid is very much like its counterparts. It's just as good and even better. The gameplay is repetitive on paper, but in execution it gives you one of the most rewarding and incredably fun experiences you'll have playing a video game.

Boss fights and plentiful with almost 10 in total and each one is just as memorable as the last. Each one is huge with their own special strengths and weaknesses and are challenging to boot. Every one will leave you breathless and on the edge of your seat.

Playing Super Metroid is almost like a religious experience. What most Hollywood movies go for in the thrills and surprises department Super Metroid delivers in loads. The ending will leave you shaken and may even possibly bring a tear to your eye.

You can get this game for $8 on the Virtual Console. That's more than a great deal. You shouldn't be hesitant on whether or not you should buy it, throw down the $8 and play one of the greatest games ever made. As far as 2D games go Super Metroid is the best.