Games this week:

• Playstation 3 - Portal 2
• Playstation 2 - Beyond Good & Evil
• Xbox 360 - Lost Odyssey, Halo: Reach
• PSP - Persona 2: Innocent Sin

Happy Monday, everyone. Holy crap, I made up for the light gaming last week.

To start with, I finally played the cult classic Beyond Good & Evil. And there's a reason it's so beloved: it's a pretty effin' good game. It's obviously not without fault, like some incredibly punishing stealth sections and flip-flopping the camera controls when you switch to first-person mode. But there's nothing game-breaking and there are is some great writing. The characters are well-written, the story's interesting, there are laughs, and there are somber moments. There are NPC characters with dialogue that implies a history with the main character, Jade, and the world just feels legitimate. But I played it this weekend, so, that's out of the way. I don't know how I feel about a sequel, assuming it ever actually escapes Development Hell and gets a release. I almost feel like you could cut the stinger after the credits and just have the game stand on its own.

Another game I started and finished this weekend was Halo: Reach. Another game I kept hearing great things about. And, frankly, I do think it's the best Halo game. The Noble team is comprised of some great, albeit a little cliche, characters. The gameplay is tight, as all Halo games are. I do think some of the things added are superfluous, like the armor abilities, but it doesn't harm anything. It's just extra. The story does get a little ridiculous with the constant noble deaths of the Noble team, though. It loses its sting when they happen one after the other. The final one is definitely something, though. Definitely something. Also, maybe I'm remembering the Halo universe incorrectly so feel free to correct me, but, did they pull the whole "Cortana is Forerunner AI technology" thing out of their ass? The whole tying Cortana into the Halo: Reach story doesn't quite make sense. Assuming I'm remembering the previous games correctly.

Another game I finished last week, Portal 2. I really like Portal 2. The puzzles seemed a lot easier than the first one, though. More about the characters in the second. I've heard that all the brain-bendy puzzles are in the co-op stuff, but, I haven't found a partner to play them with yet. But as for the solo campaign, Wheatley is amazing. Cave Johnson is also very funny. The writing is just hilarious. Also, SPOILER: my favorite character, aside from Wheatley, is definitely the space sphere from the end. Love it! END SPOILER Also, I completely love the lack of a cake reference. I'm extremely pleased that they didn't feed those particular twits.

Lost Odyssey is proving to be pretty entertaining. The story with Kaim is great and the whole struggle with being an immortal. The dreams are definitely the best part. I already missed some, it looks like, which is going to be frustrating I bet. We'll see. I'm stuck right now, though, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do to move forward.

And finally, Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Haven't played it much this past week. I'm honestly starting to think I am just over the handhelds. I'm also tired of the conversation system that's present in the first and second Persona games. There are so many variables involved that I basically need a FAQ because I can't memorize it all.

And that's all for last week. See y'all next Monday! Also, worth noting, this took me three hours. I am so very sick and easily distracted. Sadface.